Connecting the Dots
by Choco-Loki
Summary: Felicita suspects that her parents are not who they say they are. With 5 other teens who bear similar questions, they go across the country to discover the impossible. Warnings: past mpreg, crossdressing, yaoi. Rus/Am, Spamano, GerIta, FrUK, and others.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: First story! Warning—past mpreg, cross-dressing (because I want to), and yaoi. No gender bending here! The uke nations just have an uncanny ability to look like girls without people suspecting them to be guys. That's why I'm referring to them as 'her' for now, since their kids don't know yet.**

**Blame all mistranslations on Babylon 8. Heheh. **

**And I am only writing for fun, so please don't bombard me with 'That's so OOC!11111"  
They're OOC because they are fanservice for me…yep. **

**Disclaimer: I don't Hetalia. **

Their private meeting had begun with an unusual start: for instance, Germany wasn't yelling his lungs out, and England and France weren't beating each other senseless. America was not glaring at Russia and Russia had long stopped terrorizing random people. There were only France, England, Italy, Romano, Spain, Russia, America, and Germany in the room.

It was uncomfortably quiet…

The other difference was that the meeting chairs were all replaced by plushy couches in which several nations were lounging on.

Italy had his head tucked under Germany's chin, and America had curled next to Russia in a fetal position. France had his arm around England who didn't utter a single obscenity. Spain held Romano carefully, as if he might break if pressed upon too hard.

"Is this the only option?" England quietly asked. Several heads turned to look at Germany, whose face was set like stone.

"It is the wisest choice. We've all talked to our bosses about this," Germany confirmed. England nodded. "We can't put our identities at risk. We will separate and not have contact with each other until our children are old enough to know about this."

"And when will that be, _mon ami_?"

"Until they are in high school. That is the time that they will have to make the choice of whether they will stay human or become one of us."

"How are we going to bloody separate? We're nations. We can't just move countries apart."

"As countries we can't. But as our human selves, we can."

"So let me get this straight." America coughed. "You want us to live like humans, get regular jobs, and build our family."

Italy jumped in. "And to make it seem normal-er, Ludwig decided to make all the expecting nations dress like girls, ve~! But I already do that, so I guess it doesn't apply to me."

Ludwig clapped his hands over Italy's mouth and blushed.

"WHAT?"

England had to push France off him, for the latter had jumped him and was imagining England in a miniskirt. Spain got a heavy nosebleed while using his pedo-vision to see his Romano in Ita-chan's old maid uniform. Russia…he tried to look away from America, for his lover was glaring at him as a warning; ever since America had gotten pregnant, his McDonalds intake had been drastically lowered (for his standards, which still amounted to three burgers a day), and he was prone to beat up anyone who got him pissed, even the Russian monster of the world.

But eventually the chorus died down to grumblings of agreement, since the idea does seem to make some sense. After all, the nations could, in fact, look like girls if they wanted t—WAIT, scratch that!

Italy sighed and removed the hand pressed to his mouth. "Ludwig…you're telling us to not see each other for fourteen years at least. What will Romano do without me, ve~"

"I can manage well enough without you, _bastardo_!" But even Romano felt his eyes stinging.

"This is going to be our last meeting for now. Unless our bosses order us to have contact, we will do so, but not face to face." Germany paused. "We will live like our people so as to not arouse suspicion. And our children will not know a thing about this until they are of age…"

"If the humans were to know about us, it would be a complete disaster, da? Our ребенок will not live a normal life either. We will try to live as normally as possible. But they will have to know someday. What will we do then, on that next world meeting?"

America shifted a bit. He tried not to make sudden outbursts nowadays, just in case he'd have to make a run for the toilet. Throwing up not just in the morning, but at random times, was really starting to irk him. It's like he lived in the bathroom, with Tony watching him puke and Russia rubbing his back. God, he'd even given up McDonalds. He was getting cranky.

"We can have the meeting at my place," America offered. "But I think I'm going to stay at Ivan's house just a little while longer." England rolled his eyes, but Germany smiled slightly.

"Ve~!"

"What is it, Feliciano?"

"I got a great idea for the name! We can name her Aloisa."

Romano groaned. "You are _not_ giving the kid a potato name!"

"How do you know that it's going to be a girl, Ita-chan?" Italy giggled.

"Mama's intuition." He slowly got up. "Fourteen years isn't really long…we've already been through centuries anyways. These years will pass like fourteen seconds!"

Italy turned to leave, but as if deciding on the last minute, he whipped around and hugged Romano fiercely. "See you soon, _fratello._"

* * *

"And that's all I remember, Mama," Felicita finished. "Really, what's so special about this one that you needed to hear it twice?"

Her mama's mouth was open and she could see unchewed tomato chunks and omelet in her mouth. Her papa turned around from the stove with a bewildered expression.

"Nothing," Lovino said lamely. "What a vivid imagination my bambina has!" she said to Antonio, who grinned.

Lovino had been trying to tone her cussing down to a minimum ever Felicita entered school. No, it wouldn't do to have phone calls everyday from the teacher about the interesting vocabulary she'd picked up from her Mama. But hell, Felicita swore on a daily basis at school now, listening to all those late-night conversations (it's not what you think!) her Mama had with her Papa.

"Alright, Feli-chan, let's get you to school before you get a late pass. Don't want to start off the first day of high school like that, would we?" Antonio opened the door and kissed goodbye to his wife. Lovino blushed heavily and shoved (more like smacked) Antonio away.

Felicita shuffled slowly out of the door.

"Papa, but I don't want to go to school! There's this mean bitc—I mean girl, who's always picking on me! She says I'm ugly and all the boys hate me."

"That's not true, Feli! _Dios mio, _you are the pride of Italy and Spain!" Felicita rolled her eyes; he used that phrase everyday. "How come I've never heard you say anything about it bef—"

But before Antonio could say more, Lovino whacked the poor door open and it sent Antonio flying off.

"WHO'S BEEN BULLYING MY DAUGHTER?" Her red dress fluttered faintly and her face seemed close to bursting. "I'LL CRACK THAT MOTHERFU—"

"That's why, Papa."

Antonio jumped right in from wherever he got thrown to, for the sake of his daughter. "Ahahaha…! Lovi, there's no need to do that, is there? Cracking stuff is really unnecessary in school these days. I'm sure Feli can deal with it on her own, isn't that right? And if she can't, then we'll step in, mm?"

"NO UNDERDEVELOPED BRAT IS GOING TO PICK ON MY—"

"Yes, that's right, Lovi! Now let's go back in the house before all the neighbors come outside again…" Antonio steered his wife back inside, Lovino still steaming and muttering swears under her breath. "Feli, can you walk to school today? Papa thinks that he'll stay with Mama just a little longer today. Just in case she decides to follow you to school with a knife. HAHA..! Ha…ha…" He falters as his mind registers the huge possibility of _that_ happening.

"_Vaffanculo_ _Spagna! Lasci andare me!" _Felicita heard her Mama shout some more.

"Alright, Papa. See you."

Felicita waved halfheartedly. Her Mama turned from peaceful to murderous in less than 15 seconds. She knew she should've kept it to herself, like she's done in middle school.

Felicita stopped for a moment. What did 'Spagna' mean? This was a new insult. Her Italian was even worse than her Spanish, so most of the time she had no idea what her parents were talking about. Maybe her Mama never used it because it meant something really, really bad. To her it sounded like some special spaghetti dish. She shrugged it off. She had bigger problems to worry about: Angelina was going to throw insults at her again, like she'd done every other day in junior high.

_Why does she have to pick on me?_ She thought. _What's wrong with me?_

High school was not going to start well.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: All mistranslations go to Babylon 8. I'm just an American student learning Japanese, which is of no help here. XD My apologies for OOC-ness. I'm still practicing. Mary-Sue bully character (I apologize in advance if she offends you in any way! She doesn't represent any one in real life. ^^") added for the lulz. 8D  
****[I love reviews!] Thanks for those people who reviewed/alerted the story in the last chapter! ;A; I really appreciate you taking the time to leave your thoughts. :)**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Hetalia. f**

High school was, and is, loud and obnoxious. Everywhere Felicita could see couples sucking face and grabbing at each other in unmentionable places. It was a little disgusting. It made her think of her Mama and Papa. But _they_ weren't really that gross; her Mama and Papa looked like they've walked out of a Runway magazine ad. Which was really strange considering that they must be 40 by now…or was it 38?

Now that she thought about it, her Mama and Papa had looked the same since she was in 3rd grade, as if they didn't age at all. Her parents might as well be 25. No wonder why the other parents gave them funny looks at Open House. They looked way too young to have a kid already in high school.

Ninth grade was completely different from junior high. Everyone towered over her, and her best friend had moved to Arizona. God, she should've been in a group or something. Having only one close friend was great, but now that she's gone, Felicita walked the classroom hallways alone.

The campus was pretty spacious, and the school had over 2000 students. Felicita made it through 4th period without seeing Angelina or her buddies.

Angelina Allred was part of the popular crowd in the school. She was rich, skinny, unbearably fashionable, and got everything and anything she wanted. She practically announced that her dad worked in the White House and was awful protective of his 'little girl.'

And then came lunch. Felicita tried to find a somewhat empty table at the corner, but it was just her luck when Angelina paraded in with her 'friends' following closely behind.

"How's it going, loser?" Angelina smiled nastily. "I heard your little friend left you and went to Alaska."

"It's Arizona," Felicita said quietly. Angelina took a bottle of water from her backpack and twisted the cap open.

"Yeah, I really care." And without warning, Angelina emptied the bottle over Felicita.

Now this was really too much for Felicita. Even junior high wasn't this bad. Angelina just laughed and tossed her blond hair. She'd like to pull that ugly mane down and chop it with a knife, that's what she'd like to do! Felicita could feel her face burning and a million eyes on her back. Or maybe that was just her.

"You piss me off. Your face is pissing me off. Why don't you move? This is _our _table." Her goons laughed like idiots.

"You bitch!" she screamed. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She clapped her hands over her mouth. Shit.

Angelina froze. "What did you say to me?"

"Y-you're a bitch," Felicita sputtered. "You…" Oh, how she wished she had her Mama's cussing skills right now. She wouldn't have minded if she showed up with a knife. "Y-you _Spagna_!"

Angelina, clearly not knowing what it meant and deciding that it probably wasn't friendly, raised her hand and prepared to slap Felicita.

Felicita squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the impact, but it never came. Instead, she heard someone laughing.

She opened her eyes and saw that a tall, blond girl with shining blue eyes had grabbed Angelina's wrist and was twisting it down. Angelina struggled to not gasp. It was an upperclassman. Great. People _were _watching her after all.

"Leave the girl alone, shortie," the upperclassman smiled, trying to stifle her laughter. "She's with me." Felicita noticed that she had an accent, but she couldn't quite place it. For some reason, it reminded her of her Mama talking.

Angelina snatched back her arm and glared at the girl. There were pink bruises where the upperclassman had held it.

"I'll tell my daddy about this," she warned. "He works in the government. He's going to kill you once he sees this." The girl wasn't daunted.

"Go ahead," she said. "But if you do, I'll break your face." That was probably when Angelina noticed the obvious size difference between the girl and herself. Angelina stared at the taller girl in shock, then backed off.

"I'm going to come back and get you, loser! You two are going to regret this," she yelled at the girls before running off.

"Thanks…for that," Felicita mumbled. The upperclassman was laughing again. "What is so funny?"

"Oh, I just thought that your comebacks were really interesting, that's all."

"What did I say?" Felicita demanded; her cheeks still felt hot.

"You called that girl 'Spain.' I'm taking Italian II right now, so I was forced to memorize some vocab." She grinned. Some voice at the back of Felicita's mind asked, _but then that means Mama called Papa 'Spain.' Why? _

"Really, thanks a whole lot for that. And sorry for getting you in trouble with Angelina."

"No worries. It's not like one freshman is going to ruin my life. She's just picking on you 'cause you're a lot prettier than her. You a freshman?"

"Yeah…" Felicita flushed even more at the compliment.

"First day of school going kinda rough?"

"Sort of."

"Oh, I forgot! My name is Aloisa. Aloisa Beilschmidt. I'm a sophomore. Here." Aloisa handed her a towel. "I just got back from swimming, so I always keep an extra towel. You wanna borrow my shirt, too?" She sat down across from Felicita and retied her ponytail. Not a strand of hair was out of place.

Felicita draped the towel over her sopping hair. "You're German?" She guessed from the last name. _Aloisa…isn't that the name from my dream?_

"Half German. My mom's one hundred percent Italian. See? She packed me pasta. Again." Aloisa took out her lunch and started to eat. "That hair really likes to stick out, doesn't it?" She gestured with her fork at Felicita's curl.

"Yeah…it won't stay down no matter how much I brush it. My Mama has nearly the same exact curl," Felicita said. "She's Italian too, except my Papa is Spanish. I'm Felicita." Aloisa stopped chewing.

"Really? That's super close to my mom's name. My mom has a crazy curl too. She doesn't like people touching it though…" Aloisa looked around. "Hey, what's your next class?" Felicita dug in her backpack and took out her schedule.

"I have Art," she said.

"Me too! How weird is that? Almost creepy. Haha, I didn't mean it like that, it's cool. Have I seen you somewhere before?"

"I don't think so."

"Swim team? Cross Country team? Geometry class? German Literature?"

Felicita shook her head no.

"Well, that's funny. You look hecka familiar though. Whatever."

Aloisa started to chat with Felicita about different things. It seemed like Aloisa couldn't stop talking: it jumped from homework to swimming to running (which she hated) to painting.

"I've been painting since I was twelve," she said. "My mom taught me. I just loved it. My dad made me join the cross country team though. He says I could be fast if I tried. But the only time I will ever willingly run is when he starts chasing me with a gun or something."

Felicita giggled; it felt good to talk with somebody again. "Oh, by the way, I heard that there are some foreign exchange students coming into our Art class." She grinned. "I hope there are some hot guys in there." Felicita choked on her sandwich.

"W-what?"

"You know, I heard that one's French and two's Russian. Don't you watch those movies where the foreign guys carry the girl off into some long distance international romance? I just think those are soooooo awesome. But I think it's even hotter when it's two guys, instead of a guy and a girl, am I right?"

"Y-yeah…?"

"My best friend moved to Japan last year, we used to talk about all sorts of things. You know, if I'm not going to become a famous artist, I think I'll be a writer. I might just follow my friend to Japan and live there and write millions of BL novels like what she's probably doing right now. You know what that is? It's like a regular romance novel, but with two guys. Oh, there's the bell, let's get going. Maybe the Russian guys have four-packs…"

* * *

"…and we have new students joining us today! They'll be here with us for the rest of the year, so everyone be nice to them. Now then, I'm going to take role, so please pay attention!"

"I think that's them." Aloisa nudged Felicita. "Wow, they look like models."

And it was true. Nearly everyone in the class was sneaking a peak at them. The other girls were bunched together and whispering. The boys scowled at how the new students were getting all the attention.

"Aloisa Beilschmidt! Oh, Aloisa! Good to see you back in here."

"You too, Ms. Janey."

"Alec Bonnefoy!"

"Here, madam~" He whipped his blond dreadlocks around and blew a kiss into the air and all the girls melted into a giggling puddle. The male students' glares intensified even more.

"He's so girly," Aloisa whispered. "And those are the biggest eyebrows I have ever seen…" Felicita snickered.

"Evangeline Bonnefoy!"

"Here, Miss." The girl glared at her brother. She had green eyes like Felicita and spoke with a slight British accent.

"Adrian Braginski!"

"Here." The boy had silver hair and bright blue eyes, though he looked at the teacher with disinterest. Adrian tried to smooth out the front part of his hair, which refused to lay flat.

"Mein Gott, that is one hot guy. Are all Russians this tall or something…?" Aloisa quietly squealed to herself. Felicita, who had no idea what she meant, just nodded along.

"Mikhail Braginski!"

"Here~" Adrian's brother looked kifnd of creepy. He wouldn't stop smiling; behind his blond bangs, his gaze never wavered. And he was staring right at Felicita. Violet eyes met her green eyes and Felicita shivered out of fright.

"Uh…okay…Felicita Vargas Carriedo!"

"Here." Felicita shrank at the mention of her middle name. Angelina had insulted her middle more than a few times, and there were certain times she could remember quite clearly. Now Aloisa was looking at her strangely. Maybe she thought it was weird too…

But Aloisa leaned towards her. "Do you want to come over to my house for dinner? My mom makes really good pasta, and I can show you some of my paintings."

"That would be great." Felicita gave a mental sigh of relief.

* * *

"Mama, I'm home!"

Felicita ran into the kitchen, but her Mama was no where to be found.

"Then what do you want to do!" Felicita winced. It sounded like a man shouting, but it didn't sound like her Papa.

Felicita edged towards the origin of the voice. She stopped and stood with her back pressed to the hallway, the other side being the living room.

"We will tell her someday." This was her Papa's voice, calm and gentle.

"When? When she's eighty?"

"Of course not, Lovi. She _is_ in high school now." Felicita heard her Papa coo. _Papa is talking to Mama? _She thought. _But where is she? I don't hear her…_

"Tomato bastard, I want to get this over with and see my brother. Potato Number Two got to stay with Potato Number One. I don't see why I can't be with Feliciano."

"Lovi, Gilbert is no longer part of Germany. Truthfully, I don't know why he's even here, but he stayed. Since he is not a nation, he doesn't count." _…there's a city called Gilbert in Germany? Who's not a nation? That doesn't even make sense! _

"Fine. But when is Alfred going to call us—"

The phone rang loudly and Felicita jumped from her hiding place. Her Mama was quiet during the entire conversation, as if she wasn't even there. _Who is Feliciano? And what the heck is Potatoes One and Two?_

"_Hola_? …Boss?" Felicita heared some shoving. "Put it on speaker, _idiota_!"

"_South Italy and Spain?" _

"Ah…_si_." It was her Papa who replied to the names. _His name isn't Spain!_ Felicita wanted say. _Why is the man calling him that? Who's South Italy? _Her head was attempting (and failing) to figure out the impossible.

"_The World Meeting has been decided. It will be hosted by America in Wash__ington D.C. next week on Monday. Transportation will be arranged. I expect you'll see the others there. The children are to be left at home. I repeat, the children are to be left at _home._" _Beep.

It was silent for a moment. Then the man shrieked.

"Spagna, this is it! This is the one! This is fucking great!"

"I know, Lovi! We can see Francis and Gilbert now~"

"…you aren't getting back into that group of yours, are you?"

"If I say yes, will my cute tomato try to punch me?"

"No, but for calling me that I'm gonna." Her Papa yelped.

"Ohhh, I have to leave Felicita in California. We're freaking going across the country."

"Would you rather that we've both stayed in Spain or Italy?"

"No! That makes it even more complicated. I'll have to call Rina. Maybe she's available..."

"Her old babysitter?"

"She must be available. She'll _make _herself available!"

"Of course..."

"Okay, you can stop hugging me. Seriously. _Move, _fucker, I need to make dinner."

"Ahaha~"

Crap. Scrambling to her feet, Felicita raced to the front door and pretended that she'd just come in.

"I'm home, Mama!" She watched her Mama and Papa walk out of the living room together. There was no one else.

"Ah, there's _mi cielo_! How'd it go at school today?"

"Great! My friend invited me to her house today for dinner. She lives really close by, so I'll just bike there." _At least that's what she said..."It's through the park and into that path behind the bush and then you go to the end of the neighborhood. You can't miss it!" _

"Who is it?" Lovino asked dangerously. "It better not be a boy."

"Of course not, Mama. Her name is Elizabeth," Felicita lied. _If she hears the name Aloisa, she'll definitely know that it's a German name. And she doesn't seen to like them very much either. _That last time her Mama saw a man who spoke German in the supermarket...she would've thrown a tomato at him, if Papa hadn't hauled Mama over his shoulders and carried her off. To this day, the reason for her German-hate is still unknown to Felicita. Papa wouldn't tell her, and asking Mama was pointless.

"…alright then. Come back at 9 sharp. Do you hear me?"

"Thank you, Mama!" Felicita hugged Lovino and sped out the door. "Be careful!" she heard her Papa shout.

As Felicita passed houses on her bike, the conversation she overheard was racing in her head. _Why did the guy in the phone call my Papa and the man Spain and South Italy…Papa works in a cubicle...what's 'World Meeting' got to do with anything? Why was the man so happy about it? And where did he go? Why did Papa call him Mama's name? The man called Papa Spagna too… _She swerved to avoid a mailbox. _There is something they are not telling me. Something that involves me. _


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: All mistranslations go to Babylon 8. All grammatical mistakes you may blame on the author's high school. Thanks for the alerts/reviews! ;A; So happy~**

**Disclaimer: I will never own Hetalia. **

_Still in the school…_

Aloisa waved to Felicita. "Remember to come over!" she shouted.

She didn't know what came over her, asking a person she'd just met to come over for dinner. But Felicita didn't seem to mind. Maybe it was the hero aftereffects; she'd felt pretty brave walking up to that uppity girl and twisting her arm. Besides, there was something about Felicita that seemed too familiar. Was it her name? Maybe she looked like someone she knew, like her—

"Bloody hell, let's leave already!"

"But _ma cher_, Adrian is still talking to us~"

Aloisa spun around. There they were, the model exchange students. Adrian and Alec seem to be trying to have a conversation while Evangeline glared daggers at them from the side. Mikhail waited patiently behind Adrian. What good luck! She was not going to miss this chance to get Alec and Adrian together. Her yaoi-infested mind had already decided _that_ hours ago, ever since she saw the two of them together.

_They're the perfect match! _She thought. _A hyper French boy and a Russian teen who's lost all his interest in romance! This is absolutely perfect!—_No! They were beginning to leave! Adrian seemed to have finished whatever he wanted to say, and Alec got distracted by a pretty junior girl waiting for the bus.

"Wait!" Aloisa ran towards them. "Wait!"

Alec was the first to notice her. "Ah, _ma petit belle_, what can we do for you?" As Aloisa got close she could tell he was wearing designer perfume. Not cologne. Rose-scented perfume. That seemed almost typical though…

"My name is Aloisa, from your Art class!"

Evangeline noticed her. Her perfect yellow-blond curls bobbed up and down as she hurried back to her brother. "Nice to meet you, Miss Aloisa. What did you need?"

"Ah…um…" Shit. She didn't think that far. "I just wanted to ask you guys if…if you wanted to come over for dinner!" Yeah! That's it! "I can show you some of my paintings if you want."

"Surely we, and by we I mean _him_," Evangeline paused and gestured at her brother, "would be a bother, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'd have to turn you—"

"We would love to come, _ma cherie_! Hmm…this is a date then, _non_?" Alec winked at Aloisa, who struggled to not gag. Her dating Alec. Ha! That'd be like a girl dating a girl. Not that she had anything against it, it was just that she much rather preferred him with Adrian.

"Of course not, it's just a friendly gesture, and it'd be great if you can get your Russian friends to come. It'd be really, really great if you could do that, I mean _really_ great…"

"Absolutely! Anything for my angel~"

"But I would hate to impose—"

"Evan, don't be such a grouch. This lovely girl is inviting us to her house; only an imbecile would turn her down."

"HEY! Well, oh, I suppose…but…!"

"Okay, I'll see you guys later!" Aloisa shoved her address at Evangeline, who was too surprised to refuse it. "It's at six! And please please please _please_ bring your Russian friends? Okay? Okay!"

Aloisa ran off; she was so happy she didn't even care if she seemed weird or crazy to them. Besides, her Mama loved it when they had guests, and guests loved her, so it wouldn't be that bad.

Aloisa turned on her cell and called her Vati.

* * *

_I didn't know there was even a neighborhood here. Hell, I didn't even _know _there was a path through the park leading here. _

Somewhere along the route, the neighborhood had changed from normal to palace-sized homes. Each house had at least three luxury cars lined up along the driveway. _Is this like the rich people territory or something? Monster trucks could probably drive through the front door of the house!_

At last she reached Aloisa's address. Her house was the biggest out of all, but that was probably because the front part of the house was transformed into a huge lawn, giving the illusion of tremendous size. Tomatoes grew next to the fence in giant bushels, just like her Papa's tomato garden.

Suddenly, something large and furry jumped on her. It pushed her to the ground and proceeded to lick her face.

"_GYAAAAHHHH!" _Like her Mama, Felicita was a little afraid of dogs, especially really big ones that can pin you down to the floor. "Help! Oh my freaking God, get off!"

She could see now that it was a German shepherd. A large one at that too. The more Felicita struggled, the dog seemed to think that it was playing with her. Another dog, hearing the sound of the German shepherd, saw Felicita and joined its friend.

"OH MY GOD!" She was going to get devoured by hungry dogs, and here she was, right at Aloisa's house, too. Now she's going to greet Aloisa and her family with a face full of slobber if she ever got up.

"_Nein, _Blackie_! Sitz! _Berlitz_, mein Gott, _platz_!" _Aster and Berlitz, hearing a familiar voice, jumped off immediately and Aloisa rushed to help Felicita up.

"Oh God, Felicita, I'm so sorry! Bad dogs, bad!" Aloisa shooed the dogs, Aster and Berlitz, back into the house. Felicita heard them whined sorrowfully as they hanged their heads and shuffled away.

"They always want someone to play with. It's totally my fault, they've been cooped up all day and they're bored. _Onkel _Gilbert!" Aloisa yelled at the man who'd told the dogs to get off. "You said you'd look after them!"

"And I did! I thought I did a pretty awesome job!" The man brushed off his jeans, stood up, and flashed a grin.

_It's a model. It's another model. Why are foreigners so good-looking?_

The man, Aloisa's uncle, eagerly shook Felicita's hand. "I'm the awesome Gilbert! You must be Aloisa's friend."

This man, Gilbert, had a rough-sounding voice. The coolest part was that his hair was so silver it was almost white, and his eyes were blood-red. Felicita didn't think those were colored contacts either. You could stick this man in a magazine and he'd be the cover model.

"_Onkel!" _

"What? Oh, and don't mind those dogs, they're really my brother's. But he's too busy with Aloisa's Mutti and now the awesome me has to—"

"_Onkel!" _

"Right, right! Come on in, erm, what was your name again?"

Felicita started. She hadn't even introduced herself! Stupid, stupid! "Nice to meet you, my name is Felicita." She managed a little smile. Gilbert acted seriously eccentric.

The silver haired man paused. "Felicita? Really?"

"Er, yes…?"

He considered this. "That's really interesting…come in, come in. Oh, and Aloisa, someone left a message. It was some really girly sounding dude saying that he couldn't make it and 'sends his love.' Man, Aloisa, are you dating homos now?"

Aloisa punched Gilbert in the arm. "_No_, I am not. And you shouldn't be talking. I found some old photos of you and some blond guy called Matthew when I was cleaning your room."

Gilbert froze. "That's—!"

"Whatever. I'm not really interested in what you do, you know? Let's go in, Felicita."

Gilbert was left sputtering on the front lawn. Blackie came running back and tried to jump him.

* * *

"…are you rich?"

"What?"

"Look at this! Your living room is like the size of the school gym, okay? There's like ten giant oil paints in there, and I've seen three TV's in your house already. Oh, look! There's another one!"

"No, it's not—"

"And everything is sparkling clean! Do you hire maids?"

"My dad just likes to clean, okay? 'Cause Mama likes to mess things up when Vati's not around."

"And everything is so modern and stylish. Where do you even buy this sort of furniture?" Felicita pointed to a coffee table. "I don't think you can get that at Ikea."

"My Mama designs some of the stuff—"

"Your _Mom_? I was right. You are rich. And maybe even famous. What now, did your Dad draw out the blueprints of the house?"

"Don't be silly. He's a mechanic. He works with cars and stuff. And those paintings are done by my Mama."

"Wow. Oh geez, it's another living room. How many of these do you have?"

"It's the family room. I call it the mess room, since Mama's paintings and my junk are all in here. Nobody ever cleans this part of the house, and I think Mama would beat Vati with a deck brush if he tries to clean it. She doesn't like her unfinished works moved around." Aloisa stepped over some half-dried oils of a man with glasses in front of a piano and a smiling woman. "She likes to paint these two a lot. Says she made them up. But I think they're real…"

"..has she ever tried that before?"

"Huh?"

"Try to hit your Dad with a deck brush."

"When she can't find her deck brush, she improvises. This place can get really messy."

"Ah…is that a rabbit?"

"Yeah. Mama painted that for Vati on his birthday last year. Vati can't draw at all, so Mama thinks it'll make him feel better if she painted him something he liked. I remember he was really happy on that day. It's just a bunny, though."

* * *

'_Ludwig, Ludwig!' her Mama bounded across the room to her Vati and hugged him. 'Happy 41__st__ birthday, ve~!'_

_Her Vati smiled, as if he thought his age was funny. 'Thank you, Feliciano.'_

'_Oh, I almost forgot, I got you a little something.' Her Mama pulled Vati to the family room. 'Tada!' _

_It was a painting of a bunny. Aloisa had helped her Mama with some of the background, but she didn't think it was her Mama's best work. It's just a rabbit. But her Papa's eyes widened in recognition and had stared at the painting for a long time._

_He turned around and hugged her Mama, making the latter squeal in delight. 'Thank you.' _

* * *

"You have phones everywhere, Aloisa!"

"Huh?" Aloisa shook her herself out of her funk. "Oh, that's because lots of people call Papa 'cause some junk's messed up in their car or something. He gets commissioned a lot. Speaking of phones, I need to check the messages." Aloisa's tone dropped a little in disappointment.

"What's wrong?"

"I'd invited those exchange students over, but it seems that they can't come." Her finger pressed the 'Play' button on the receiver.

"_Ma cher, I'm so very sorry we couldn't make it—_WINE BASTARD—_but to make it up to you, our Maman and Papa have allowed us to invite you and your friends over to our—_MY COOKING IS AS GOOD AS ANYBODY'S, FROG, SO YOU CAN BLOODY KISS MY—_house. How about tomorrow? We can talk about it after school. Au revior!—_Ma cher, what are these black lumps in the oven, mm?" The dial tone trailed off.

Aloisa stared at the phone. "Lots of background noises in there."

Felicita nodded. "At least now I know I'm not the only one with a dysfunctional family."

"Why?" Aloisa glanced at her curiously before making her way back to the kitchen.

"Well, my Mama yells a lot, but usually not at me. She yells at Papa because she's really easily embarrassed. But I think Papa likes it that way."

"Mmh." Aloisa dug the fridge for prepackaged foods, but finding none, she groaned, "Ugh, now I remember. Mama went out with Papa to the supermarket 'cause we ran outta food."

"Oh!" Felicita exclaimed worriedly. "Am I imposing—"

"No no no, you're not. It's my _Onkel _Gilbert. He's the human black hole, and he got really hungry during lunch…I guess I could whip up something quickly right now—"

"Aloisa~!" came from the front door. It was a woman's voice, her clear Italian voice ringing out.

The male voice, sounding like he was struggling, said, "Mein Gott, Feli, help me with this."

"Oh right~" The female voice sang the words. Her voice had a melodic quality to it, like she's been practicing for a long time.

"That's my Mama and Vati. Vati looks kinda angry all the time, but he's sorta shy."

Aloisa ran to the living room. "Vati, my friend is here! Oh, and _Onkel _Gilbert left, I think."

"That's great. Where is she? Oof, Feli, here, hold this. Wait, Gilbert left?" The man sighed in exasperation.

"Ludwig, ve~ I'm already carrying one~"

Felicita followed Aloisa to the living room, and saw a man and a woman trying to balance three shopping bags on top of each other. Well, mostly the man. The woman was holding a package of pasta and giggling as she watched her husband juggle the bags.

_More models! Their house is full of models! First it's that Gilbert guy, now her mom and dad! It's like the thing with _my _Papa and Mama! I bet they get gawked at a lot more when they visit the school. _

The man, Aloisa's Vati, had some sort of stately manner about him. He was tall, his blond hair slicked back like how Aloisa's hair was brushed down, and his blue eyes matched hers. Those must be the clearest, bluest eyes Felicita has ever seen.

The woman, who was still watching and grinning, was few centimeters short of the man. Her outer appearance and her manners contrasted with her husband. Her green skirt swished around her knee as she shook with laughter. Her dress looked a lot like her Mama's red dress though.

Aloisa's parents looked no older than 23…

"Mama, Vati, this is my friend. Her name is Felicita!"

At last the couple looked up at her, and the woman gasped. Aloisa's Dad dropped some of the groceries in shock. On the left side of the woman's hair, there sprouted the curl as Aloisa had said. The exact curl her Mama has. Like _her _curl. The most unsettling thing was that she looked identical to Felicita's Mama. She had the same warm brown eyes and chocolate brown hair, though her features were softer and happier. They stared at each other for a moment.

"What's wrong, Mama? Vati? Hello…?"

The woman had difficulty bringing herself to speak. "_F-fratello_?" she whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for those that reviewed (I'm really glad ;A; -crys manry tears-) and all the alerts. YOU'RE THE BEST! I read every single review! :D**

**Chapter 5 will probably be uploaded on the weekends. Please look forward to that!  
I've a math test tomorrow! -crosses fingers and hopes not to fail epic much- xD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia, 'cause if I did, then it'd be full-blown yaoi by now. **

"_F-fratello?_" Aloisa's mom ventured again. She was so stunned. Her dad didn't say a thing, only gazed into Felicita's face as his mind registered the situation.

"What are you saying, Mama? This is my friend. I told you!"

Aloisa's mother's head seemed to clear a bit as her eyes became unglazed.

"Ah! I'm so sorry! I'm Aloisa's Mama, ve~ And you are?"

She forgot to introduce herself again! But this lady looked so much like her Mama, it was difficult not to stare. "Um…I'm Felicita. From Aloisa's Art class."

Aloisa's mom smiled slightly. "Well, that's awful close to my name, isn't it? I'm sorry for scaring you like that. It's just…" She couldn't help herself but touch Felicita's cheek. "…you look so much like someone I know. He's gone now, but I'll be meeting hi—I mean her—soon, I hope."

"I hope you do, Mrs. Beilschmidt." Felicita shifted and snuck a glance at Aloisa, but she was looking pretty bewildered herself.

"There's no need to be so formal. We're all _famiglia_, right? You can call me Feliciano! You are also Italian?"

"Ah, yes!" Feliciano's small mouth parted into a toothy grin.

"Really? Well, Aloisa, you go help Papa get all this into the kitchen; I'm going to start dinner. Ludwig, if you see Gilbert, would you please tell me? I should lock up the fridge~" Feliciano winked at him, making her husband go red.

"_Ja_, I will. Aloisa, there is more in the trunk, will you get those for me?"

"I'll help," Felicita hurriedly said, not wanting to be left alone with Aloisa's dad. He was still peering at her from the corner of his eyes.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"What's that?"

"You didn't tell me you knew my Mama."

"That's because I don't." Felicita held four bags full of canned tomato sauce. This family sure loved tomatoes. She shouldn't be talking though; her Papa was the tomato fanatic.

"But how did Mama know you?" Aloisa herself carried at least ten bundles of pasta, one piled high on another, and another.

"I don't know…?"

"That's it! When I first saw you, I _knew _there was something familiar about you!"

"Because I looked like your mom?"

"Yes! But don't say it like that, it's not a bad thing. And you're practically identical to her. You could've been her younger sister."

"Wait…wait…I think I do know your mom…"

"See!"

"No, I heard this man talking about it to my Papa."

"...dude, what?"

"Oh, I don't know. I was going to tell you about it. See, when I got home today, there was this man shouting to my Papa, so I eavesdropped on them."

"Ooohhh."

"And then this man called my Papa 'Spagna' too, and he said something about not being able to stay with Feliciano."

"What?"

"Exactly! And then this random phone call came in when the guy whined about not receiving a call from Alfred—"

"This sounds a little homosexual."

"Yeah, yeah. Wait, was that what you meant by yaoi?"

"…please continue."

"Okay, so this guy calls, and my Papa calls him 'Boss,' and the 'Boss' called the mystery dude 'South Italy' and my Papa 'Spain' to get ready for a World Meeting in Washington D.C. next Monday. And the phone guys said to leave me at home."

"You?"

"Me! What do you make of this?"

"I think it sounds like there is a man stalking my Mama, that's what I think." They made their way back into the house. "Probably an old boyfriend. Mama has plenty of those."

"I'm sure."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing! But don't you think it's weird? My Papa is a regular old businessman. What's the World Meeting about?"

"Maybe he got promoted?"

"To what? Senior Tomato seller?"

"I don't know what your dad does, geez."

Slowly walking towards the kitchen as to not drop any of the pasta and cans, Felicita could already smell Feliciano's cooking. _It smells like my Mama's pasta…_

"You can put those there, girls." Feliciano hummed as she stirred the pot. "Thanks a whole bunch, _bambina~ _Can you go call your Papa to dinner?" Aloisa nodded and gave Felicita a look that meant, _Go talk to her and find out something. _

"My Mama calls me that too." Felicita couldn't help herself but blurt that out. Feliciano behaved almost like her Mama. She just felt so at home and comfortable with her.

"Does she?" Feliciano ladled a spoonful of sauce onto a plate. "So tell me, Felicita, what does your Mama like to make for dinner?"

"Sometimes she makes pizza." Feliciano nodded. "Other times when she's in a good mood, she makes paella for Papa." She stopped pouring.

"Paella?" she said uncertainly. "Is your Papa Spanish, by any chance?"

"Yeah, how'd you know? He also has a tomato garden, like yours, except ours is all over the place. Papa takes really good care of them."

Feliciano seemed to ponder this, then asked excitedly, "What did you say your last name was again?"

"Mama, Vati's here!" Feliciano gave a small disappointed huff. Felicita blew a sigh of relief. This was sort of akin to an interrogation now…

* * *

"Felicita, what does your dad do?" Felicita chewed slowly and her gaze wandered over to Feliciano, whose brow was furrowed in concentration.

"He's…a businessman." She wasn't a future son-in-law, damn it! Why was she getting all these random questions about her family?

"And what does he do?" Ludwig wriggled tensely in his seat.

"Um…he files paper…and stuff." Truthfully, Felicita didn't know what her Papa does. He'd never told her, and when she questioned him, he just went, 'You don't need to know that right now.'

"How about your mom? Does she stay at home all the time?"

"_Schatz_," said Aloisa's Vati, "I need some help in the kitchen. Come with me?"

"Sure, ve~!" Feliciano's features brightened. "I'll only be a while, girls~"

As soon as they left the dining room, Felicita threw Aloisa a look.

"Does your mom interrogate people like this everytime?"

Aloisa was unsure. "Never. She usually lets Vati do the talking. I have no idea why."

"Well, it's starting to scare me. I'm afraid of saying the wrong things and having your parents look at me all shocked." She twirled a strand of pasta on her fork and literally jumped when she heard the phones ring.

"It's the mystery man!" she cried. "He's out to get me!"

Aloisa huffed, "Calm down, will you? It's probably another one of Vati's clients."

"At this time of night?"

"It's only 7."

"Come on, let's go see what they phone call was."

"But it's really probably nothing—oof!"

Felicita dragged Aloisa out of her seat and snuck into the kitchen just as she had in her parent's house.

* * *

"I told you it's—"

"Shhhhh!" Felicita pressed her ears to the wall. They were concealed behind the hallway, where no one in the kitchen could see them. All except for a creepy wooden cuckoo clock on the wall that had popped a man's face when it rang. That face reminded her of Alec, which made it even creepier.

"—ah, yes, I can fix that by tomorrow…"

"What did I say?" Aloisa whispered to Felicita. She'd brought her plate along and was still eating.

"Alright, thank you!" The phone beeped. "Feliciano, are you done with that over there?"

"Almost!"

"And another thing…I think you are scaring the girl with your questions…that's why I asked you to come in here."

"That may be so, Ludwig." Her voice turned from soft and bright to stony cold in less than three seconds. "But you are not the one that haven't seen his brother in fourteen, no, fifteen years. You made that time limit yourself. This girl looks so much like him. Her Papa is Spanish…why hasn't anyone called? Where is Alfred?"

"See! She said Alfred!" Aloisa's eyes widened.

"My Mama doesn't have a brother…she's an only child…" Aloisa muttered.

"It depends on Alfred and how he'd like to arrange everything. And lots of people have parents that are from Italy and Spain."

"And for all we know, Alfred could in Russia forgetting about the entire thing!" Feliciano cried tiredly.

The phones rang again, a chorus of loud beeping noises that almost made Felicita scream. No, one should not have so many phones in a house. Aloisa seemed quite used to it, however.

"_Pronto_?" a man's voice said irritably. It was a little pitched and whiny. Aloisa was close to choking on her noodle.

"What the hell?" she gasped. "That's not my Vati's voice!"

"Let me hear it, _Liebling_," Ludwig said. The machine beeped as Ludwig pressed a button.

"_North Italy and Germany,_" intoned the phone. "_The World Meeting has been determined. It will be hosted by America in Washington D.C. next Monday. Do not bring your children. _Verstehen Sie?"

Ludwig's voice suddenly became tight and strained. "_Ja_, Boss. But this is so sudden, why—"

"_It is what America has decided. It is extremely important that you follow these rules exactly._ Auf Wiedersehen._" _Beep.

"Ludwig…I think all my wishes have been answered. Ve~ someone _is _listening! Ludwig?"

"We'll have to leave Aloisa at home, maybe we can leave her at Felicita's house, or hire a babysitter."

"Aloisa is old enough, ve~"

"But not old enough to stay by herself this long." Their conversation trailed off to hushed whispers. This time, it was Aloisa who dragged Felicita back.

"I think…that you were right about this."

"What, you think I'd go to such great lengths telling a lie?" Aloisa gazed at Felicita worriedly.

"The man called my parents North Italy and Germany. My Vati called the man on the phone 'Boss.' It's exactly like you said! Maybe they're…"

"Yeah? What are they…?"

"…secret agents fighting against Russia and all its spies! Like in the movies. Have you ever seen _True Lies_? That was a good movie…" Aloisa smiled to herself.

Felicita waved the question away. "For your parents, that's possible. My parents are regular people."

"And what perfect disguise is that? Being totally normal but on the other side, you're," Aloisa sang the next part, "_super-crime fighting agents defeating evil people discreetly!_"

"Sure, it'd be nice if it were true," Felicita said, thinking of Angelina. "But it's not a cartoon. This is real!"

"Hello girls~ I'm sorry we took so long! Felicita, are your parents going to be at-home for next week? We're going somewhere, it's such an urgent call, and Aloisa needs someone to look after her~" Feliciano and Ludwig came back into the dining room. Just the two of them.

"Uh, my parents are going to be out to—"

"She'd love to have me! I mean, she can! Her parents are in every single day!"

"That's wonderful! I should call her then, just to make sure…"

"No!" Aloisa said. Ludwig raised his eyebrow. "I mean, I'll tell her, okay?"

"We don't want to be rude…"

"I'll tell my Mama," Felicita sighed. "I'll tell her that it was an important date and you completely forgot about it. Is that alright?"

"Yes! Thank you so much!"

"Mrs. Beilschmidt, I think I should be getting home. Your pasta was delicious, but I think my Mama will worry. I'll see you later!" Felicita hurried out, in case Feliciano tried to stop her.

"I'll see her out!" Aloisa leaped from her seat and followed her.

* * *

"Why did you tell her that?" Felicita whispered angrily. "You know my parents are going there too…"

"I'm planning to follow them."

"You—what?"

"I'm going to book you and me tickets to Washington D.C. and follow them. Find out exactly what they've been up to this whole time."

"You can't—how are you—"

"Don't worry about that, I have a friend that hacks the computer on a daily basis. Don't tell you you've never seen _Sleepless in Seattle. _You better get ready to go, don't say you don't wanna!"

"That's a completely different situation! Her mom was the travel agent! We are going to get in so much trouble, but I do want to know…"

"Good girl! We'll figure it all out tomorrow at Alec's house."

"Alec?"

"The French blond on the phone." Aloisa sighed dramatically. Her personal Shinobu in real life…

"Right. Aren't you gonna go back in?"

"Nah. Mama is going to fire me with questions. I don't really want—oh man, look who's here."

Just right there, five houses down from Aloisa was Angelina. She was dressed in a flimsy, pink skirt and her face was heavily made up. In other words, she looked completely plastic. She glared at her puppy, a little golden retriever, and yelled furiously at it. She did not notice Aloisa or Felicita coming towards her as she was too absorbed in screaming her head off.

"You're supposed to be doing a trick! The guy in the store said you would!" The puppy stared fearfully at Angelina.

"That is kind of pathetic," Felicita said flatly, watching Angelina stomp her foot in anger. Aloisa, on the other hand, went rigid. Her face contorted into a frown as she eyed the puppy.

"That's it, you stupid dog!" Angelina shouted. "Tomorrow I'm taking you to the pound!"

The puppy whined in defeat, and Aloisa snapped.

"Hey, shortie!" she bellowed to Angelina. The girl saw Aloisa and _her _face twisted itself into a scowl. "Watch what you're doing to that puppy!"

"It's you! You should be glad my Daddy is in Washington D.C. right now! He'd beat you up right here—it's _you!_" Angelina pointed accusingly at Felicita, who shrank back in horror at being seen. "You have some nerves, coming into this neighborhood! And you too, you freaking giant!"

Aloisa's eye twitched. "For your information, I _live _here. And second, if you harass Felicita again, I will fuck up your face so bad you won't even want to come to school tomorrow."

Angelina's hands flew up to her cheeks in terror. "You wouldn't dare! My Daddy will—"

"And if he comes to my house, I will fuck up his face, too." Aloisa shot Angelina a look of pure loathing. "Now give that puppy to me."

"It's my puppy!"

"Oh no, it's not. You wanted to take him to the pound. Girl, if you wanted a puppy for show to put in your purse, you might as well get a fake one. You can't treat dogs like that."

"I own him! I bought him from the store!"

Aloisa picked up the puppy gingerly before Angelina could snatch it away. "You can't ever own a puppy." Aloisa said coldly. "They can be your friend, but you can't own them. You don't deserve him."

"Bitch!" Angelina shrieked. She raised her hand and prepared to rake her 3-inch fake nails on Aloisa's face.

Aloisa caught the hand as it flew downwards, letting the puppy jump down to Felicita. She twisted the arm around so that Angelina was forced down to the ground. This time she couldn't keep her cry of pain in.

"This feels pretty familiar, doesn't it?"

Angelina suddenly chomped hard on Aloisa's arm. Using her other free hand, Aloisa pressed down on Angelina's head and began to push her to the cement.

At the last minute, Aloisa hesitated and released her grip. Angelina coughed hard onto the ground, taking slow, deep breathes.

"Girl, I'm letting you go for the last time. If I see you behaving like that again, I swear I'll murder you."

Angelina slowly stood up. "You're going to regret this," she growled. "My father has a lot of power. He will destroy your family." With that said, the pink monster retreated back into her house.

The puppy barked pitifully at Aloisa, who gave it a sad smile.

"That was…" Felicita couldn't even find the words. "That was amazing."

"It's nothing," Aloisa said tiredly. "I just can't stand it when I see animals get treated like that. It's because I have three dogs. You saw Aster and Berlitz. Blackie was playing in the backyard. They've been with me for a long time, so I guess I've developed a soft spot for dogs or something." She scratched the back of her neck. "You better get going. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you." Felicita mounted her bike and rode off.

Aloisa exhaled. She picked up the puppy and sluggishly walked back, rubbing her arm where Angelina had bit it.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Chapter 5 ahoy! Thank you guys so much! I seriously mean it when I say I read every review! I LOVE YOU GUYS. BLOODY SOB. XD (America is very used to dressing like a girl. It takes practice! Practice! XD) Chapter 6 is underway! The kids are getting ready for their trip. WOOT. Please look forward to that!~**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

Yet again, Felicita strolled the halls of the school alone. Everything was still the same. It was amazing everything could stay unchanged when she'd just had the most confusing experience of her life. No doubt Feliciano and Angelina had shaken her up. She marched to the freshman section of the school and headed for her locker.

A hand grabbed her backpack and pulled her down. "Hey there! Morning~!" Nope, it wasn't Angelina. Aloisa beamed at her eagerly. A few freshmen turned their heads and glanced at Aloisa, the alien who'd come from Planet Sophomore.

"Good morning, Aloisa."

"Aww, why the long face?"

"I've been thinking about the whole Washington D.C. trip."

"Yes…?"

"And I've decided that I would like to go."

Aloisa grinned even wider. "I knew you'd come to your senses! This is great! I'll just have to find that computer whiz kid now…"

Felicita had made up her mind after she heard her Mama and Papa say to her that they'll be gone by tomorrow. That made things even more suspicious, not that she wasn't suspicious enough in the beginning anyway.

* * *

_When she'd got home, her Mama and Papa were at the dinner table. Her Papa's hair was slightly mussed and her Mama was flushed and breathing hard. _

They better not have been doing what I think they've been doing…

"Bambina…! _You're home early!" _

"_Yeah, Mama. Aloi—erm, Elizabeth's Mama had some things to take care of."_

"_Oh, well that's too bad," her Papa said. "Next time she could come over to our house!"_

"_Sure…"_

"_Another thing, Papa is going on a super short business trip to Washington D.C., and Mama will have to come with me. Your Mama couldn't get in contact with Rina, I can't imagine why. So we've asked the lady next door to check on you everyday!" _

"_You mean that old lady who's nearly blind and deaf and can't think right? Are you serious?"_

"_Well, your Mama said she called ten babysitters, but they all refused…" Antonio's gaze wandered to Lovino, searching. _

_Lovino blushed. "They were all just too incompetent, that's all! Stop looking at me like that, jerk!"_

"_But Back to School Night is tomorrow…" Sincerely, Felicita didn't care, but only because she wanted to make sure that her parents weren't coming. _

"_Oh, I'm so sorry, _miele, _I don't think we can make it. You see, it was all very rushed. We leave on Sunday at 3. Who knows how long we'll be there." _

"_So, you can't come…even if Back to School Night is on a Friday."_

"Chiquita, _this is very important. You have to plan ahead. Especially on these types of trips…"_

* * *

"My parents are going to leave on Sunday," Aloisa said. "They said they can't go to Back to School Night today either. I don't understand their logic, but in this case it gives us an advantage."

"Same here!" Felcita exclaimed. "But I have a babysitter. She...her head's kinda messed up though."

"I'm staying with you, so I guess that doesn't matter much." Aloisa shrugged. "It's alright. You said she can't hear or see very well. We'll nick a dummy or make one and record a couple phrases you say, and there you go."

"_Ma cher~!" _Alec pranced across the hallway to the pair, with his sister and the Russian brothers in a tow. "_Ma cher_, I have more unfortunate news!"

"Slow down, arse!"

"Da~ It is nice to be in a group~"

"Dude, bro. What the hell?"

"Alec!" Aloisa stared at the exchange students. Now almost everyone looked up to sneak a peak at the super gorgeous visitors. "What's wrong?"

Adrian and Evangeline huffed and crossed their arms, Evangeline indignant at being dragged across the school so undignified, Adrian pulling at this strand of stubborn hair. Mikhail smiled at Felicita, who tried to smile back but wasn't sure if she had frowned or twitched her cheek muscles.

"Maman and Papa were suddenly called away to Washington D.C. They've been packing, and they probably still are. They leave on Sunday, but they said that they won't be able to come to school for the…whatever it is the school is having. Oh," Alec said as he saw Felicita, "and who might you be, _ma biche_?"

Felicita blushed. "I'm Felicita," she squeaked.

Evangeline sighed. "What he means is that Mom is going insane tearing the house apart. She's so panicked."

"Our parents our going to Washington D.C. too~ But they'll still come over to Back to School Night~ _My_ мама and Папа will never want to miss this." Mikhail flashed Aloisa a smile, and the background freshman girls melted into joy since they thought he'd been smiling at them.

"Seriously? Your parents are all going to Washington D.C.?" She pondered this for a while. "Alec, your dad is French and your mom is British, right?" Alec nodded; he'd been flirting with a slender freshman blond. "And Adrian," she addressed the normal looking one, "your parents are…?"

"My dad is Russian and my mom is American."

"Oh. I thought you were completely Russian. Okay, never mind that. So they're all going to Washington D.C."

"Yes?" Felicita said. Mikhail was boring his eyes into her now. What is up with that kid?

"I think…our parents are _secret agents_." This was enough for Alec to turn back to the conversation.

"_Excusez-moi, _but I do not think I understand what you mean."

"For once, I agree with him," Evangeline said. "That sounds close to impossible."

"Okay, see, yesterday Felicita and Aloisa heard our parents getting a phone call. Did you guys get one?"

"Yes…"

"They were called to Washington D.C. for an urgent meeting. Our dad called the guy on the phone, boss, and there was also a mystery man inside. We didn't look inside, we just heard the voices."

"You know, I think you might be right…" Evangeline said. "That sounds nearly identical to what we heard yesterday. There _was _another man, I heard him, Alec, I wasn't making it up!"

"Yes, us too," piped Adrian softly. "Everything is as you said."

"And this makes a whole lot of sense, right? Parents hiding under a common identity. Your dad might be a spy from Russia, your mom a hired assassin for America, my dad can be the German government's hitman or something, and so on! This is so cool!"

"And how does this involve us?"

"Felicita and me are going to tail them to Washington D.C. But we need to hack through the accounts to get tickets. I'm considering letting you guys come along…we'll need the help. Don't you want to uncover the biggest mystery of your life?" Her eyes shown with excitement. This was really too much fun.

The group was silent for a moment, then, "Yes, I would like to know what my parents are hiding from me."

Felicita protested, "But six people going on a plane, that'd be so expensive! It'd be like stealing money!"

Aloisa frowned. "Yes, but—"

"No need to worry, _ma cher_~" Alec produced a gold and silver plastic card from his pocket. "Monetary matters are of no matter, _oui_? I can help you here."

* * *

The school was crowded with parents and students who were dragged by their parents to attend Back to School Night. Basically, the parents wander throughout the school to get a sense of their child's campus and get to meet with the teachers. Aloisa and Felicita sat on the benches, watching parents and high schoolers arrive one after the other.

They'd agreed to discuss their plan on the school campus at 6 that night, the same time Back to School Night started. The only setback was that Adrian and Mikhail's parents will be attending.

Alec and Evangeline were the second to arrive. The parents gawked at them in wonder, and their less-than-pretty kids glared at them.

"Here's my schedule, mom, you can just go right ahead to first period."

"Awwwwwww, are my little boys not going to come with their Mommy?"

"Dad will keep you company."

Several heads turned at the direction of the voice, and their jaws dropped as they could not keep their eyes off of Adrian and Mikhail's mom and dad.

The Russian brothers ran towards Aloisa and Felicita, but they were also gawking as bad as the normal parents at _their_ parents. Even Alec stared a little.

"You guys are so mean!" the woman pouted. Her yellow-blond hair was styled fashionably short and held in place with a couple of clips, but one lone strand of hair wouldn't hold in place, as it popped up and bounced around in the front on top of her forehead. Her makeup was applied with a light hand, but that highlighted her best features. She wore a tight, short black skirt and her white blouse was ruffled with laces. She jumped around on black high heels around the campus while her husband calmly followed her.

"You do not want to hurt yourself, da? Let me help." Her husband lifted the woman up bridal-style and she squealed in surprise. The man was clearly model-material, just like Ludwig. He was tall with ashy silver hair, his mouth curled up into a knowing smirk. He wore a light tan trench coat and wrapped around his neck was a long white scarf. It was all very, very sexy, to say in the least.

"The heroine doesn't need any help! But from you I guess I'll make an exception…" She allowed her husband to carry her without much fuss.

Together the couple made their way to their children. Their pose could've been on the cover of a fashion magazine. It was too bad no one brought a camera. His wife laughed happily as her husband carried her, and the woman looked even younger than Aloisa's parents. She could've been 20, and the man seemed to be around 30.

"Hi there!" the woman hollered to the group, still shocked at how young and beautiful the Russian brother's mom was. "Why are ya'll gaping at me like a couple of fish?" She giggled, a free, tinkling sound. She hopped off her husband's arms and landed expertly with a neat click-clack from her heels.

"Wow, you all look so familiar," she exclaimed. Her accent fluctuated from Southern to Bostonian to whatever the heck it was. It was like she was talking all over America. "I'm these boys's mom. You can call me Allie though. I was never a fan of formalities. Too tedious, mm?"

Alec came forth and held her French-manicured hands. "_Oui, _madam! You are quite a beauty!" Aloisa slapped her hand to her forehead. You don't just go up to someone's mom and say that.

Apparently Evangeline was thinking the same thing. "Bloody git!" she yelled at her brother, and to Allie, "I'm his sister. Please to meet you, Miss Allie."

"Well, aren't you a dear! Your accent is just precious, and it reminds me of someone important, too. I used to have that accent a long time ago." She cupped her hands on Alec's cheeks and stared at his eyebrows. Alec nearly fainted in delight. "Those look really familiar," she concluded flatly.

"What does, madam?"

"Oh, nothing!" She glanced around, finally noticing the silent crowd of parents gathering behind her. Her husband snaked his arm around her waist.

"We should go, Солнышко моё. Time is short."

"Right, Vanya~! I'll see you guys later! Behave yourselves, boys!"

The Russian boys blanched at their mother as they watched her leave. "She overdid it. She always does. Whenever's there's a party or something, she just has to come out the prettiest and the best. And dad lets her every time, sometimes even plays along with her."

"She really is beautiful," Felicita said. Aloisa nodded consent.

Adrian crossed his arms. "I told you, she dresses like that only for events. She keeps them in a separate closet. Her regular wardrobe consists of ratty jeans and T-shirts from 10 million years ago. Usually she dresses like a slob. No offense."

"But she's so skinny…" Evangeline sighed. She'd wanted to be a model when she was little, but somehow that dream faded into the back of her mind.

"Yeah, but she has McDonalds seven times a day. Everyday. And that is not an exaggeration."

"Alright, alright," Aloisa said. "Back to School Night ends at 8. We have a good 2 hours before we need to hurry home. Who brought the laptop?"

"I did." Evangeline handed her a green laptop with stickers of unicorns and fairies all over it. Aloisa didn't question it.

"Okay. Let's assume that our parents are all leaving at the same exact time, on the same plane. Who knows when that might be?" Aloisa logged in to the Airlines website and clicked 'buy tickets.'

"This Sunday, at 3 in the afternoon," Felicita said.

"How about the airplane number?"

"I have it." Adrian gave her a piece of binder paper. "I looked the plane number up on my dad's computer."

"Right. Let's see…" She entered the numbers and set the time for departure. "Crap. There's only one seat left. Coach. Now what?" Alec groaned.

Mikhail laid a reassuring hand on Aloisa's shoulder. "Let me handle this, da?"

He studied the screen for a moment. Then proclaimed, "I will override the system. I will reorganize some seating charts on the plane. You want to fly first-class?"

Aloisa's sputtered. "How can you do that?" Everyone scooted closer to the laptop, watching the screen intently.

Mikhail typed quickly. For a moment, nothing happened, then the screen turned black and transformed to random numbers running up and down. It made no sense to Felicita, or anyone in the group, but Mikhail almost seemed to be reading the numbers. _And here I thought that only happened in movies, _Felicita thought.

"You are right, Aloisa," Mikhail said, his hand stopping for a rest. "Our parents are all in the same airplane in first-class. Do you want to downgrade so that won't be spotted by them?"

The screen was still a jumble of numbers and letters. Felicita had no clue as to how Mikhail was interpreting it, but Aloisa said, "No. We need to be as close to them as possible. We'll put on disguises or something. And write this in too." She handed him a piece of paper with scribbles on it.

Mikhail shrugged and smiled his creepy smirk. "Yes, ma'am."

His fingers shot out and began typing twice as fast, his eyes going up and down. "Alec, give me your credit card." Alec complied, and with one hand, Mikhail fingered out the numbers on the keyboard and pressed enter.

"Thank you, товарищ. I gave you 100% discount on the tickets." Mikhail turned away from Alec, who ogled at Mikhail like he was some sort of god.

"How did you do that?" Evangeline couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice. She'd just witnessed the most amazing computer hack of all time. "What, did you learn it from watching Matrix?"

Mikhail cocked his head. "What is Matrix? I learned this watching my Папа."

"Your dad hacks computers?" Felicita breathed. A model _and _a genius. She knew they were on a different level, but not like this.

"I do not know if he does this now. This was from a long time ago. Of course, erasing my activity on the site was a little difficult, but there is always a way." Mikhail peered at Alec. "The credit card number was a key to the lock. It refused let me in without paying something. That part I cannot get past. But since it took 100% of the payment, it will not show up on the bills or in any records. That was merely to open the barrier."

"Isn't this illegal, man?" Adrian gave his brother a look. "I know you've done things like this on a video games, but…"

"It is very much illegal…" Mikhail said darkly, "…only if we get caught." A solemn quietness followed. But Mikhail reverted back to his childish voice. "But we will not get caught. I have done this procedure many times on several websites before, not just video games. They do not even try to think that anyone can break through their security! Silly adults…"

"So now what do we do when we get to the airport?"

"We tell the people our names and they will know."

"Um…thank you, Mikhail."

"You are welcome~"

"Now we only have to plan out our route. Did anyone get babysitters? No? Only Felicita?"

"My mother left me in charge of this idiot."

"Our dad knows that we're smart enough the figure out things for ourselves."

"Okay then. Here's the deal. I will handle Felicita's babysitter. Tomorrow, you will disguise yourselves. Mikhail already put the info in the computer. I will be Mrs. Nancy Harlen going with her husband Mr. Jake Harlen. That's you, Mikhail, and Felicita is Janet Harlen. Evangeline is the older sister of Janet, and your name is Victoria. We're an influential family traveling together to go on a field trip for Janet in the White House. Got that?"

"Okay, and as for Adrian and Alec…" Aloisa gave her best yaoi fangirl smile. "…will be the gay couple who's business in designing clothes is booming and you've opened another boutique in there. You guys are Collin and Brad…um…Bitt. How's that? I worked on the profiles all day."

Adrian bust out laughing. "What the hell was that? Did I just hear, 'gay couple'?"

Alec was less than amused at Adrian's reaction. "It is because he is jealous of my features," he taunted. "He cannot sit next to me without people comparing my looks to his, and deciding that mines are obviously better. "

Adrian's grin faded. "That is not true! You know what, I think I just might take you up on this. If I attract more attention, then you have to pay me fifty."

Alec was not one to back down from a challenge. "Fifty it is! Prepare to loss to this sexy face! _Va te faire foutre_!" Alec then made a great show of flipping his golden hair so that all the parents outside could see it catch the dimming sunlight.

"Let's go find mom and dad, Mikhail." Adrian trudged angrily away. Mikhail waved happily to Aloisa before following his brother. Alec grabbed his sister's hand and dragged her away despite her repeatedly hitting him with her laptop and yelling a hasty goodbye to Aloisa and Felicita before continuing to spurt obscenities at her brother.

Aloisa put a hand on her forehead, smoothing out the frown she'd been wearing. God, she had to stop doing that; it was too much like her Vati. "Well, now that that's done, I'll meet you and everyone else at the park tomorrow at 10. We've got to practice. Anyways, I gotta run!" Aloisa flew off in the direction of the park. Felicita started to wonder why she agreed to this in the first place before going on her way.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you guys so much! I just love reading those reviews! Thanks for the favs/alerts, also! YOU REALLY ARE THE BEST! ****Oh, and I always reply back to all reviews. If you don't receive one, then my Internet is really screwed and not sending the replies as they should. I'm sorry! oTL Grammer/spelling mistakes are because I was too tired to proofread more than once. I will work harder on the next one to compensate for that! ^^;;**

**(I saw a fake light-up cigarette in a Halloween store today. I had to put it in here somewhere. Apparently it was a mafia prop. What are they encouraging kids these days? LOL :3)**

**The next chapter will be at the airport, I think. Awesome-sauce! XD Please look forward that that!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. [AHHH, FANFIC EDITED OUT SOME WORDS LOL. On Chapter one, it took out the 'own' out of the disclaimer. AND I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE. SORRY!]**

It was early in the morning when Felicita dragged herself out of bed and tiptoed downstairs for breakfast. Her Mama and Papa (or rather, just her Mama) were going crazy shouting at the other about what not to put in the luggage. This went on until…3 o' clock in the morning, Felicita thought. She'd finally drifted off to sleep when there was a lull in the argument.

She made herself toast, but it was hard bringing herself to eat it; her stomach felt queasy about disobeying her parents and skipping school. Could she trust Aloisa? It was too late, anyways. Mikhail had already broken into the system once. Twice would be way too risky.

She left a note on the table saying that she'd gone out for a morning jog (which she never does, but hopefully her Mama will be too tired to question too much). She grabbed the toast and headed out the door, a feeling of impending trouble always lingering at the edge of her mind.

* * *

"There you are! I was about to call, but I thought that your parents wouldn't take kindly to that."

The five other kids were all gathered at the park benches. Alec and Adrian wouldn't stop glaring at each other. Real morning joggers saw the kids and wondered why a group of models would be out in their park. Photo shoot, they concluded simply in their minds.

"We started a little early 'cause none of us could sleep. My Vati was up nearly all night finishing a report. For the D.C. thing, no doubt."

Aloisa took out a bag. "Okay, where's my husband?"

The kids looked at her blankly. Aloisa sighed.

"Look, if we're going to be believable, we've got to act the part. Mikhail, that's you. Here." She threw a black wig at him and donned a scruffily red wig herself. A blond wig went to Felicita and a brown one sailed over to Evangeline.

Aloisa gave Adrian a blond wig. "Sorry, but that silver hair is way too obvious." She looked over to Alec, who'd been snickering at Adrian. "Alec, you have to spray paint your hair blue."

"Huh?" His hand went protectively to touch his golden locks.

"Come on, just one strand in the front. It'll look really good." She produced a can of hair dye from the bag and tossed it over. "But not right now. Do it later."

Aloisa went to her bag of stuff and took out three piercings and a makeup kit and handed it to Evangeline. "You're going to have to be the rebellious daughter. These are fake piercings, don't worry. And make sure your makeup is really, really heavy. I say blue with some black and gold. Felicita, you can wear the glasses."

It was the thickest, most square glasses she'd ever seen. The lenses were a little dark.

"Those aren't prescription glasses, but they'll turn dark under the sun. That way you can hide your eye color."

Aloisa stood up on one of the benches. "Okay, listen up! Tomorrow we're going to dress accordingly, alright? Evangeline, who are you?"

"Victoria, rebellious daughter." She crossed her arms impatiently. She'd never done a bad thing in her life. She was always the perfect one, the one her parents doted on. She was practically throwing all that away.

"Okay, Felicita?"

"I'm Janet," she squeaked. Oops, that was an accident. She was kind of thirsty.

"Good. Nice touch on the voice, by the way. Okay, Mikhail!"

"Jake Harlen, da~" He smiled childishly. Aloisa jumped down.

"No no no no no, you gotta do it in a deep voice and be really dignified. And don't use that super high voice and take out that 'da~.' People will know something's wrong."

His voice went lower. "Yes, ma'am."

"Alright, good. Where's my lovely couple?"

"Not here."

"I'm here, _ma cher~!_ I can make quite a convincing act. Watch _moi._"

Without warning, Alec snuggled into Adrian and wrapped his arms around his neck. Adrian stood as straight as a pole, shocked, which intensified even more when Alec nuzzled his neck and buried his face there. His face was dangerously close to the blond, and he didn't know what to do.

Aloisa had to smash down her fangirly screech to stay in charge. "That's great, Alec. In fact, that's more than great. It's so…real…fantastic job…more to the side….a little more…okay, get close…yeah, that's it…" Alec followed her instructions and Adrian turned crimson with embarrassment. Felicita went completely red. Evangeline and Mikhail watched with some sort of morbid fascination.

But Adrian could see a challenge when it approached him, and he was not one to back down. He knew Alec had started playing with their little bet, and by God, he was going to win it. You can get a million things with fifty bucks. A Wii game, burgers, clothes, more burgers, really cool headphones, some books, two more burgers…

With one hand on the small of Alec's back and the other cupping his face, Adrian bent Alec backwards a little, swooped down, and kissed Alec full on the mouth. Alec made a startled little sound, but once he saw that Adrian's eyes were wide open and calculating, he turned fierce and grabbed the back of Adrian's head to pull them closer. Alec's leg wrapped around Adrian's waist and closed the remaining distance between them.

Aloisa was snapping pictures on her phone at a hundred miles per hour. Evangeline and Mikhail's smile evaporated into disgust as the couple kissed deeper and harder, until Alec was actually moaning and resisting the urge to close his eyes. God, that was too much for them.

The real morning joggers came back for a second lap and gaped at Alec and Adrian, two pretty boys smooching each other like there was no tomorrow. Alec, whose eyes were open, flipped the staring joggers off as they ran past.

Finally, Adrian pulled away and released Alec, who had to catch his breath for several seconds.

"That is how I will win the bet," Adrian said smugly. Alec glared at him. Adrian kissed almost as good as him (_almost_, that's the key word), but there is no way Alec will let him improve. Damn it, he was French! Kissing came from him!

"This isn't over yet," he snarled. Alec wanted the money bad. Then he can take about ten girls out on dates.

"I know it isn't, любовь моя. Oh, no, this is far from over." Adrian sounded so sexy speaking Russian…argh! He's not supposed to think that. Alec wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "But I think we know who will come out on top. Pun completely intended."

Aloisa screamed, scaring the boys out of their little world. "That. Was. Wonderful! That's exactly how you will act like at the airport!"

"Of course, _ma cher," _Adrian said, smirking at Alec who looked as if he wanted to blast him into a million pieces.

"I got us a ride from a senior. We'll meet at school at one on Sunday. Felicita, you should take care of that babysitter like how I told you to earlier before. We'll get to the airport then. Remember what I've told you guys!"

The group separated once again, but with more determination (mostly from Alec and Adrian; their siblings were still a little horrified) and a lot of props. Felicita's stomach was still feeling queasy. Then she noticed that she'd stuffed her toast in her pocket and had not eaten it the whole time.

* * *

_Sunday, 12:32…_

"…the food is in the fridge, and Lisa here will help you if you have any problems. Okay?"

"Sure, Mama."

"Ohhhh, I'm going to miss my _bambina _so much! Take care of yourself, we'll be back as soon as possible!—HEY, ANTONIO, GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE. SO FREAKING SLOW!"

Her Mama hugged her and headed outside. She really fancied up for this occasion, Felicita noticed. She'd put up her hair in a messy bun and actually wore makeup. Lovino had changed into a strapless red summer dress and paired it with high heeled sandals. Dangling from her ears were little tomato earrings.

Her Papa came downstairs in an Italian suit. Wait, Felicita didn't know her Papa owned that. He never dressed like this. Nevertheless, he appeared very neat and handsome. Like Aloisa's dad.

"We're going now, _Bebé_. Have fun without your old Papa!" Felicita held on tight to him as he embraced her.

"What is the meeting for?" she asked boldly. _Better make sure before we go on a wild goose chase._

"It's…an international meeting. Papa was asked by the manager to represent some products to the clients." His voice was uncertain. Felicita nodded.

"Have a safe trip!" she waved. Lisa, the crazy old lady, grinned and waved too.

The door slammed shut and Felicita glanced at Lisa, who was looking at her with a blank smile. Her eyes were clouded and her frizzy white hair was all over the place. Lisa scared her almost as much as Mikhail did.

"So now what do you want to do?" she asked excitedly. _Not many people must talk to her_, Felicita thought. _Well, they had a good reason not to! The lady looks like she should be put in a straightjacket. She keeps fidgeting all over! _"We can play cards, or Monopoly, or Life, or Tic-Tac-Toe, or I-Spy, or the Guessing game, or riddles, or reading, or—"

"Um, Lisa," Felicita said quietly. Lisa's head snapped to her and she smiled that creepy smile. Okay. _She's _creepier than Mikhail. "I'd like to go on a walk."

"Oh, sure! Let me just grab my coat and—"

"With my friends."

Lisa looked a little hurt, then she smiled like a maniac. "I'm sorry, but your Mom said not to let you out of my sight. You can't go anywhere without me. Ever."

This is even worse than the dogs. She's being kept prisoner by an old lady in her own house.

"I really, really need to go. It's an emergency. I have to get there—"

"Where are you going?" Lisa demanded angrily. "Tell me. Talk to me. Tell me now!"

_She's insane, she's insane!_ "To meet my friends!"

"I want to meet your friends. Let me meet your friends!" She groped blindly in the air for Felicita, but she had sidestepped and was quietly tiptoeing up the stairs, going to fetch the dummy for Lisa.

"WHERE ARE YOU? STAY WITH ME! COME OUT!" Her voice rose to an unearthly screech as she swatted the air for Felicita.

Felicita came downstairs again quickly, throwing the life-size dummy she'd made out of pillows. The voice recorder inside said, "Hey there, Lisa!" Felicita had recorded and tweaked everything on the computer for 5 hours straight last night, so the CD should replay when it finished.

Lisa held the doll tightly. If it was a real person, they would've suffocated. The lady had an inhuman strength. "There you are…I'm never going to let you go ever again…"

Her luggage and shoes were hidden outside behind the tomato plants. All she had to do now was to sneak behind Lisa and out the door and she'd be free…

Felicita shuffled on the wooden floor, praying that the floorboards wouldn't groan and that Lisa would be too absorbed with the dummy. She made it to the door. It creaked softly as she opened it, but that seemed like the loudest sound in the world at the moment.

Lisa was still gazing blankly at nothing, holding the dummy as if it might escape.

The dummy said, "I wish I could play Monopoly right now!" Felicita froze midstep as Lisa chattered happily to the dummy.

Felicita tiptoed out onto the porch and silently locked the door. She was now one hundred percent certain that she'd rather follow her parents across the country.

* * *

"Dang, girl, what took you so long? Our parents already left." Aloisa and the rest were counting their luggage and double checking everything.

"Well, I found out that my babysitter was a psycho and she wanted to keep me prisoner and become her insane buddy."

"…harsh morning, huh?"

Everyone had already put on their disguises. Adrian and Alec wore semi-matching outfits, both consisting of super tight skinny jeans and designer shirts. Adrian's white shirt was half buttoned, his fake blond hair actually matching his sky blue eyes; Alec had on a blue plaid shirt which were outfitted exactly to his figure. His fedora was a bit lopsided and displayed his newly painted highlight in the front. They fumed by themselves off the side.

Somehow, Evangeline had managed to put her brown wig up into a braid. The makeup was carefully applied, cherry-red lipstick and golden eyelids. Her already long eyelashes were extended by thick black mascara, and one piercing was on her eyebrow, another on her lip, and the third to her left ear.

Aloisa dressed as a typical rich kid mom, with a flowery print summer dress. Golden hoop earrings dangled delicately and her makeup was heavily done. She could've easily been mistaken as Felicita's mom. Mikhail had on a green trench coat, not unlike his dad's. The black hair and his violet eyes made a strange but alluring combination.

"Okay, last rehearsal," Aloisa's proclaimed. "Honey, where is my makeup bag?"

"In the luggage, second pocket. Do you need it?" Mikhail's tone sounded authoritative as he lit a cigarette. Felicita watched him take a puff, startled. He caught her gaze and said in his childish voice, "No, this isn't real. Aloisa had it for from her Halloween costume last year."

Aloisa blushed as Felicita wondered why the hell one would ever need a cigarette for a costume.

"Victoria? Are your bags all set?"

"Yeah, ma. Whatever." Evangeline struggled to get the words out. If she ever spoke like that to her mother, she'd kill her with her cooking. She shivered.

"Okay, cool. Felicita, you better put yours on. Brad and Collin, where are you?"

Alec and Adrian, both silently deciding that Aloisa was the judge of their game, sprang into action, their frowns immediately replaced by a big, model-worthy smiles.

"We're right here!" Adrian put his arm around Alec's waist, to which made the latter scowl in his mind. He didn't do anything yet. Adrian was still winning. Sighing, he figured the best he could do now was to lay his head on Adrian's shoulder. There was plenty of time and lots of people to watch and secure his victory once and for all.

Aloisa resisted the urge to take out her camera again. "Good job, guys. Remember, keep in character at all times. When in the presence of others, especially our parents, we use this disguise. Got that?"

Felicita nodded with the others. It was difficult to see through her darkened lenses. The wig was really itchy, too.

A grey van pulled up to the curb. "There's our ride."

The Russian brothers loaded the bags into the trunk, and the rest piled into the car. Aloisa sat in the front seat, next to the driver.

"Hey, sweet thing," the driver said. Aloisa pretended to groan and punched him in lightly on the arm. "You going to a dress-up party or something?"

"Of a sort," she said simply. "Alec, give him forty. We're going to the airport." Aloisa told the driver.

Alec did so and peeled two twenties from his wallet and gave it to the driver.

"Is everyone buckled up? Here we go!"

The driver stepped _hard_ on the pedal, and Alec, who was not yet seated, flew to the very back and landed in Adrian's lap. As Aloisa chatted amicably with the driver, totally ignoring how they were going at eighty miles per hour already, Felicita thought she saw Lisa at the school where they'd just been a few minutes ago. Even as the car drove farther and farther, Felicita saw that Lisa's face was one of absolute anger. The dummy had lost its pillow head and was lying on the ground.

Well, now she can concentrate on something else other than the car speed or Alec trying to scratch Adrian in the backseat. Not that Lisa looking as though she could kill was a very comforting thought.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews/alerts, once again! I thank you from the bottom of my heart! **

**I had to do a little research on the locations, so please excuse me if the facts are not that straight. I knew I should've gone to that D.C. trip in 8****th**** grade. oTL**

**And I did say I was going to make Chapter 7 a little longer, but then I went overboard and it got way too long. I chopped it in little bits, and now it's the same length as the others. ARRGHHH I FAIL. Sorry!**

**Note: Angelina will be making a reappearance, though not in this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

The driver's name, Felicita later found out, was Billy. He had been Aloisa's tutor when she was little, and currently he was studying to go to Berkeley. He was a straight A student and had a 5.0 GPA. Still, some part of his major intelligence failed to register the fact that one was not supposed to drive at eighty-five miles per hour when not on the freeway. Hell, you're not even supposed to go over eighty. It was a wonder they didn't get pulled over.

By the time Billy drove up to the horseshoe of the airport, Alec was looking a little green and allowed Adrian to support him. Fact: everyone was a little queasy, except for Aloisa who was oblivious throughout the entire ride. Mikhail pulled the luggage down and Aloisa waved happily.

"We're close to puking and you don't even look sick…" Evangeline muttered, one hand on her mouth.

"Victoria, darling, that's because you have never been in the same car with my mother while she is driving." Aloisa hurried and hooked her arm to Mikhail's.

"Let's go, honey. Kids, you better follow or else you're going to get lost~"

The others, sensing that that was Aloisa's way of telling them to start getting in character, began to follow suit.

"Shut up, Ma!" Evangeline shouted. "I heard you the first time in the car!" Hey…this was getting easier. In fact, it was sort of fun. She hauled her pack over her shoulder and ran after them.

Felicita, deciding that her part did not require her to speak often, adjusted her glasses and quietly shuffled behind Evangeline.

Alec and Adrian gave big flashy smiles as they sauntered through the door, Alec snuggling Adrian as close as possible. Adrian carried all the larger backpacks, as he thought he ought to. Alec pulled a little Gucci luggage behind him (he found it in his parent's room after they left).

No one could ignore the group of sexy aliens walking in. Families gaped at them, girls who thought that they as pretty as any model on the magazines glared. Some even took pictures.

"They're looking at me," Alec whispered in Adrian's ear confidently.

"And all they see is a fag walking next to this incredibly handsome guy here."

"Fuck that. If I'm a fag, you're also a fag."

"No. My sense of style is still very masculine. You look like a retired porn star."

Alec smiled for the sake of Aloisa and acting, and punched Adrian hard on the arm. Adrian clenched his teeth to prevent any sound of pain from coming out. Alec held tightly to the place where he'd hurt, and gave an innocent little smirk to the audience.

"Oh, Brad," he giggled, "you're such a dear."

Adrian struggled to free himself from Alec, but he had an iron like grip. "Not so much as you are," he whispered loudly. Alec eyes the audience and frowned for a spilt second before relaxing against Adrian's shoulder.

All the airport audience saw was two extremely beautiful models whispering into each others ear and playing around. They couldn't help but glue their eyes to the two.

* * *

_Airline Check-in, 2:36…_

"Harlen and Bitt," Mikhail intoned. He towered over the lady at the counter and played the exact part of the rich kids' dad as he stared disapprovingly at her.

The lady fumbled as she searched the computer for the names. "Harlen and Bitt…oh, there you are, sir! Do you have any heavy luggage?"

Aloisa hesitated. If they said yes, they'd have to go to the baggage claim and waste time. She sighed. No use getting one over the flight attendant. Besides, the poor woman was nearly fainting under Mikhail's steady gaze.

_If she thinks that's creepy, then she's never seen Lisa_, Felicita thought. _Mikhail is starting to look pretty normal now._

"Yes, we do!" Adrian and Mikhail hauled their things over and the conveyor belt carried them off.

"Here are your tickets. H-have a safe trip!"

Mikhail leaned over the counter. "I'm sure we will," he breathed. The lady almost collapsed right there and then from fright. Aloisa dragged Mikhail away and Adrian left Alec in the back.

"Aw, damn," Alec muttered as he accidently dropped his bag. Adrian, sensing that this was the perfect opportunity to boost him up a little in their game, rushed to get it back for him.

But he was just a second too late. Another man had already given Alec the bag and Alec was staring at him doe-eyed. Alec clutched the bag to his chest as he slowly thanked the man.

"No need to thank me. I'm Ethan. Ethan Cole. Are you going to Washington D.C., too?"

"Yes…" Alec couldn't help but stutter. This man was built like a Greek god. His face was warm and friendly, but most of all, he looked _hot_.

"You're a cute one, aren't you?" Alec blushed for real and took an interest at looking at his shoes. "What's your name?"

"Collin…"

"I think that's a wonderful name." Ethan bent down and spoke huskily into Alec's ear, making him blush even harder. "I'm going to D.C. for a modeling commission with my two friends, but I think I want someone like you to accompany me…" He twirled Alec's hair in his fingers.

"Please…please excuse me!" Alec followed Aloisa and ran past Adrian without even sparing him a glance.

"Don't worry, I'll find you." Ethan smirked in Alec's direction before going on his way.

Adrian angrily stomped to Alec. "Who the hell was that?" Alec didn't respond, suddenly making Adrian worry. "Who was he?" he demanded.

As Alec looked up, Adrian saw that his eyes were glazed and he was smiling just a little bit, his cheeks still flaring. "Ethan Cole," he said dreamily.

Aloisa whipped around. "Ethan Cole? The model?"

"I saw him…he talked to me…_mon dieu…_"

Adrian shook Alec by the shoulders. "What did he say?"

"He…he said that I was cute." Alec giggled, but not in the way he giggled at Adrian. This was a nervous, totally adorable and completely real giggle. Adrian felt a ten pounds of jealousy hit him on the head—wait! Why was he jealous? He's not jealous!

"Well, what do I care about what yo—"

"Hey guys, Mikhail found the hotel our parents are staying at." Aloisa pointed to Mikhail who was typing on Evangeline's laptop and hacking the servers once again.

"The Ritz-Carlton at 1150 22nd Street Northwest. Luxury suites all booked for them and some other people. Shall we take this…Ethan Cole out and put him in another room?"

"No!" Alec shouted. "Pick someone else!" Adrian felt another stab of jealo—NO! Not jealousy. It was irritation. Yes, that must be it.

"Okay…I will remove Jason Omar and Aaron Liu. Alec, your credit card please."

Alec gave it to him with no hesitation. Mikhail typed the same numbers into the computer and declared, "Okay. I am done. Our rooms are 435 and 434." He returned the card.

"Which room is Ethan Cole in?" Alec questioned eagerly. 'Irritation' was shooting at Adrian like icicles as his frown grew deeper and deeper.

"We'll find that out later. For now, Collin and Brad will share a room, and we will go in to 435. Do you know where our parents are staying?"

Mikhail had snapped the laptop shut as Aloisa asked him. "Oops."

"Never mind, then. We'll find out later." Mikhail took out his fake cigarette and turned it on.

"Oh, not you're not," Evangeline said, snatching it away before he could bring it to his mouth. "You're not the rebellious daughter, are you? I get to use this." She turned it off and stuffed it in her pocket.

Aloisa tensed up as she turned her head and spotted someone. "Shit!" she exclaimed. "I see my Mama and Vati!"

There they were, Ludwig carrying all the luggage and Feliciano herself holding her little purse. The airport crowd's attention was diverted as they watched the pair walk towards the previous group, that being Felicita and company.

Feliciano was wearing a short green dress and she held her hair in place with a couple of butterfly pins. Ludwig looked the same as before: stern, neat, and still very sexy as he struggled to keep up with his wife. Feliciano glided gracefully and lightly in stilettos; she could probably run in them if she wanted to.

"Those are your parents?" Evangeline said incredulously. "They look totally gorgeous!"

"Ludwig," Feliciano whined in a cute voice, "I could've driven. We'd get here much faster, ve~"

"If I ever let you drive again, we are both going to crash."

"The driver was really slow though…"

"He was going at the normal speed."

"Too slow, ve~!"

Aloisa smoothed out her furrowing eyebrows the same time Ludwig did. Felicita had to suppress a snicker bubbling up.

"Ludwig, where's the waiting place?"

"_Schatz_, let me just get the things in order…"

"Okay!" Then Feliciano saw Aloisa and the group. She skipped over happily.

"_Buon pomeriggio_!" Feliciano shouted to the group joyously. The kids felt Aloisa's panic, and they snapped back in character, even Alec, who was daydreaming about Ethan.

"Hello," Mikhail said, looking up from his book which he'd hastily opened and was upside down, his fake reading glasses sliding down a little. "Is there something we can help you with?"

"Ve~ Do you know where the plane waiting room thingy for Washington D.C. is?"

"Um, I suppose it is just over there by that corner…far, far away from us…"

"_Grazie_!" But Feliciano didn't go back. "Where are you guys going?"

"We're going to Washington D.C., too." Aloisa tried to act nonchalant towards her mother. She ran her fingers through Felicita's fake hair, pretending to smooth out the invisible tangles. "Really, Janet, why didn't you bring a comb?"

"I'm sorry, Mom. I forgot."

"Your daughter is adorable!" Feliciano crowed. "I have a daughter, too! Her name is Aloisa. She's really neat and she won't let her Mama do her hair…"

Aloisa felt a pang of guilt. She didn't want to put her hair up in a bun, as her Mama often wanted to. "Is that so?"

"_Si! _She's a good girl! I'll bet that she's reading quietly at home and studying that German Literature book her Papa made her read!"

Another stab of guilt. "She sounds like quite a jewel."

"She is! Anyways, why are you guys going to D.C.? I'm going there for a meeting!" Felicita rolled her eyes behind her thick frames. Yeah, right. Aloisa was wrong. Feliciano just liked to worm her way into other people's business. Felicita knew she didn't mean any harm, but it was jeopardizing their trip right now.

"Our family is taking an educational field trip for Janet and Victoria. Victoria, sit up straight."

"Yeah, yeah."

Feliciano butted in. "I think your hair is beautiful, Victoria!"

"Thanks, lady." Evangeline mentally sighed in relief. She'd almost called Feliciano 'Miss.' Too polite.

"Victoria!"

"It's alright," Feliciano said. "So which flight are you guys on?"

"The 3 o' clock one," Adrian added from his seat. Alec had thrown himself on Adrian when Feliciano came over and was now getting comfortable on his lap.

"That's the same as Ludwig and mines! Oh, and by the way, you guys are just the cutest thing I've ever seen!"

"Feli! Where'd you go to?"

"Right here, Ludwig! I was chatting with Mrs…I forgot to ask you your name! I'm sorry!"

"Nancy Harlen," Aloisa said. Her Vati came to her Mama's side and apologized.

"Oh no, not at all," said Mikhail. "She is no trouble at all. We are going on the same flight—AGHHH."

Aloisa had rammed the pointy end of her high heel into Mikhail's foot. Ludwig looked at her warily.

"That's a coincidence. Well, we must be going now. Feli, let's go before we miss the flight complet—"

"_Bastardo!_" a woman's voice screamed. "I ought to kill that pig myself! Charging so much for just a ride to the airport."

"Lovi, it was only forty dolla—"

"And that's forty dollars too much! I can't believe you didn't tell me beforehand." She slapped her husband on the back of his head.

"I thought that it was reasonable…"

Felicita froze. She could recognize those voices anywhere. When she looked in the direction of the voice, her suspicions were confirmed. Her Mama was walking straight towards them in fury, but she was still yelling at her Papa. Her Papa nodded to her every word apologetically.

Felicita leaned close to Aloisa. "There's my Mama!" she whispered urgently. "She's here!"

Aloisa was shell-shocked. "She looks like _my_ Mama!"

The kids also noticed the similarities. The extreme similarities, actually. The only difference was the curls on opposite sides.

Feliciano was the most shocked, however. She gaped at Lovino, who still didn't see her. Ludwig gasped in horror at the sight of Lovino screaming.

"_Fratello!_" Feliciano cried. "Ve, _fratello~!_"

"Who said that? Can't you see I'm dealing with an idio…" she trailed off, finally noticing Feliciano. "What the hell are you doing in California!"

"I live here, _fratello!_" Feliciano gave Lovino a great big hug, while Lovino sputtered nonsense.

"Ah, it's Antonio!" she said, also grabbing Antonio into the hug. Lovino blushed. She was so happy to see Feliciano again, but she didn't want to show it, or Feliciano and Antonio will never let her hear the end of it.

"Ita-chan!" Antonio smiled. "Hi Ludwig!"

"The potato? Where—_there you are!_" Ludwig had nodded at Antonio, and cringed when Lovino directed all her attention on him. She struggled and attempted to jump out of the hug. "Let me go, Feliciano! I'm gonna smash that bastard's thick head in! He didn't even tell me you were here!"

Feliciano and Antonio held Lovino down fast. "He didn't know! _Fratello_, calm down!"

"Nice to see you again, Lovino."

"Don't call me that, potato bastard! I bet you were taking advantage of Feliciano this whole time! You should be glad that I was away!"

"We're married…"

"That's no excuse!"

Aloisa and Felicita watched in surprise; their parents really did know each other. Why? How were they related?

Aloisa couldn't keep quiet. "Who is this, Miss…?"

"Feliciano!" Feliciano piped up happily. "This is my _fratello_!" She pointed to Lovino.

"Don't you mean _sorella_?" Aloisa became even more confused.

"Oh…" Feliciano considered this while the adults froze in realization. "I guess I do! My mistake!" They breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm so glad to see you again, Lovino!" she turned back to her '_sorella_.' "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving Italy?"

"Tomato bastard wouldn't let me!" Antonio laughed nervously, eyeing the group of kids at the corner of his eye.

"Well, no matter! I'm just happy that we can get back together again." Ludwig's mouth dropped open a little in horror.

"Let's go—" Once again, Ludwig was cut off by a loud, accented yell.

"Francis, remove your hand from my arse right now!"

"Ohohoho~ _Je m'excuse_, _ma cher_~"

Evangeline eyes widened in shock, and Alec scrambled off Adrian's lap to crane his neck to see over the adults.

A green-eyed woman with rather thick eyebrows angrily stomped in. She was grabbing the hem of her blue dress and trying to pull it lower, her face flushing furiously. The man behind her followed her leisurely, his blond wavy locks swaying like Alec's. He stopped every few steps to blow kisses to the girls around him, which earned him punches on his face every time the woman caught him.

Once again, they were people like Aloisa's parents or Felicita's parents: totally fashionable, extremely photogenic, and positively breathtaking. The woman's face was somewhat marred by the ugly scowl she currently had on.

"Oh no…" Evangeline whispered. The group's attention turned to her. Alec had dive-bombed back into Adrian's lap and was trying to hide his face in Adrian's neck not out of the bet, but in real fear. He pulled his fedora over his face. Adrian let him stay there, still pondering on how to destroy Ethan Cole for hitting on his...his what? No, Alec was not his, what was he thinking?

"It's Mother and Father. Alec's got to hide. Mother's sharp."

Aloisa watched the adults turn their attention over to Evangeline's mother and saw her Mama rush to give her and the man a hug.

They were all paralyzed. Nearly everyone was here, and Aloisa finally realized that Alec's face was not as well disguised as them. Hopefully they could keep up the whole thing until they arrived at D.C.…


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Mega-thanks for the reviews and alerts and favs! I'M SO VERY HAPPY! ;A; **

**Here is the flight seating chart for those who are confused (real seating order in planes are probably not like this, but I can't remember and I'm too lazy to check. Sorry!)**

Fr. UK**. AISLE. **Ameri. Russia. Ger. Italy. Roma. Spa.

Alo. Mik. **AISLE. **Evan. Feli. Adrian. Alec. Ethan.** Empty. **

**Note: Today I was recording the scores of the mile times for my P.E. teacher, when I saw on the roster the name Mikhail. I had no idea anyone called that was in my class. Surprise, surprise, he was absent today. I will see who he is tomorrow!**

**Note 2: Updated summary so that it fits the changing plotline better. **

**Okay, enough junk, here we go, folks! Chapter 8!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

They ended up being lugged by Feliciano with their respective parents. As Feliciano prattled on and on, the others checked out the kids. Airport people assumed that they were top models going to a mass photo shoot. Aloisa and the disguised children tried to inch back farther and farther away from Feliciano, who was chattering with Lovino.

"So, _mon cher_," Francis said to Alec, "is he your lover?"

Adrian had his arm around Alec's waist the whole time. Alec pulled his fedora a little lower and almost choked on his own saliva when his father snuck up to him.

"Um, yes, he is." Alec laid his head on Adrian's shoulder so that his hat nearly covered his eyes. Adrian was on the lookout for that Ethan Cole, wanting to show that Alec was _his _and Alec was the one snuggling up to—NO! He was doing it again!

Francis peered at Alec's face interestingly. "That is too bad. You know, Big Brother Francis is always available if you decide that you want some _other _company, mm? I can show you a good time~"

Francis bent down flirtatiously to sneak a peek, and Alec tried not to gag at the thought that his own dad was hitting on him. _Mon dieu_, did that mean his dad was bi?

The woman came back and smacked Francis on the head. "Bloody git, you're scaring the poor dear! Why don't you go hump your pillow and stay out of his way?"

"Oh, I'm thinking of something else I can hump…" The woman flared up and socked Francis upside the head.

"Ahh…so violent, _ma cher! _I think I like it though…"

"Do _not _call me that!"

Aloisa, Evangeline, Felicita, and Mikhail fell back to Adrian and Alec. The adults were lost in their own world now, talking a million miles an hour.

Aloisa leaned close. "I totally think that they're government spies now." The group muttered their consent. "What do you think, Alec?"

"My dad just hit on me. What do you think I think?"

"Where are my parents?" Adrian inquired. Mikhail nodded; Aloisa was clutching his arm like if she let go the floor will crumble beneath her. Ludwig stole looks at her several times when she was walking with them.

As if on cue, a super loud voice flew across the airport, making the adults jump and turn around once again.

"What the bloody hell was that?" the green-eyed woman asked. Then her eyes widened in realization. "Oh no—"

"The heroine is back to save the day! Hurry up, Vanya, we're almost late!"

"But mоя подсолнечник, it was you who spent an hour extra doing your makeup."

"That was necessary, dummy. And I had to do my hair, too. It's not like you have to do this."

The girlish voice got closer, along with the echoing of the click-clack of high heels. Allie popped out of nowhere along with her husband and proudly held her head high. She maneuvered her way across the airport easily on her 12 centimeter heels like how Feliciano danced around in hers. Her strapless dress was red, white, and blue, like someone had outfitted her with the American flag; it was cut off a bit higher than mid-thigh and the guys in the airport were all watching her ass when she walked. That is, until Ivan threateningly muttered at them. Dangling from her ears were little American flags; the tips of her hair were curled ever so slightly, so her hair bounced with her every step. Today, her mascara was thick and her lips were colored cherry red. Ivan appeared the same with his trench coat and ever present scarf, his creepy smile mode turned on extra high to ward off admirers.

"Oh..." Adrian moaned. "She's done it again. This is even worse than that Christmas party last year."

"Iggy~!" Allie waved her hand (this time her nails were painted red, white, and blue stripes) at the adults. "Long time no see! Mwah! Mwah!" She made loud kissy sounds and blew them over to Evangeline's mom, who looked like she'd like to smash Allie's head in.

Allie was quick, her long heels posed no trouble for her as she glided and crashed Evangeline's mom into a hug.

"Alf—"

"Allie! My name is Allie! Did you miss me, Iggy? Huh? Did you miss your personal heroine? Or were you too busy with Francis?"

"I was not! I bet you were getting pretty comfy there with that Russian monster!"

"Oh, you mean Vanya? Well, duh. We're married." The guy audience around the airport looking at Allie couldn't help but give a sigh of disappointment. Girlfriends grabbed their lover's arms harder in envy.

"And what are you doing, wearing that thing and prancing around?"

"Oh, you mean this?" Allie rode her skirt up a little higher and Francis collapsed momentarily due to blood loss. "I found it in a costume store. Isn't it the best thing ever? But no one wanted it."

"I'll bet."

"Iggy, don't be a sourpuss just because I look better in this than you. Nice dress, by the way."

"You do not, git!"

Allie put one finger to her lips in thought. "Hmm…Francis, do I look good in this, or is Iggy better?"

"Don't drag the pervert into this!"

"Whatever. Hey, what name do you use nowadays?" Evangeline's mom turned to the children, startled.

"My name is Elizabeth, as it has always been, wanker!"

"Ahh, so unoriginal."

"_Excuse me_?"

"Ah, it's Ludwig! And Feliciano and Romano and Francis and Antonio and random people! Hi there!" Allie ranted to the kids, now huddled in a group. Mikhail and Adrian looked fearfully at their mother. _Must she dress so revealing every time she went out? _they thought.

"I'm Nancy Harl—" Aloisa began.

"Okay, that's really cool! Are you going to D.C. too? Yeah, you probably are. Let's hurry and go! We took too long. Vanya~!"

"Yes, yes. I'm coming over."

"Ve~ Allie, you look so pretty!"

"Thank you, Feliciano!"

The conversation trailed off. Francis tried to grope Allie's ass, but was either stopped by Ivan or Allie's punch, and she hit a _lot _harder than Elizabeth. They continued to bicker amicably amongst themselves now, now that everyone was here. Allie pulled out a Big Mac and started chewing on it; miraculously, her lipstick didn't smear all over her face.

"What the hell is this?" Aloisa whispered. "Are all spies this good looking?"

"What, by good looking, do you mean that my mom dresses like a hooker? Yes, maybe so."

"Oh, Adrian, that's not what I meant at all. It's just that their faces are too perfect, their bodies are too perfect, and everything else in between is too perfect. And all of them are undeniably fashionable, you know that."

"Maybe they go off to have secret missions when we are asleep."

Evangeline glanced at her dad, now trying to grope everyone's ass, including the guys. "Do you really think so, Felicita? My father acts like a former pedophile."

"More like a raging sex offender, _non_? A big one," Alec huffed from Adrian's shoulder. Damn…Alec was really warm and ador—okay, this has got to stop.

"Aloisa, the only person I think that can be a spy are your dad and Adrian's dad. The others look…not spy material. Oh, bother…" That stupid piercing on her lip was making her mumble.

"Well, I still think they are, right, Mikhail?"

"Yes…" Aloisa's grip had gotten tighter, and he felt like his arm was turning blue. His foot was still hurting from earlier, too.

"They must be related in someway. Extended families working for the underworld or something. We already know that Felicita and I are cousins, so maybe we are all related to each other in some way."

Oh yeah. Felicita had completely forgot about that part. It was a little weird to think that Aloisa was related to her, or even her Mama.

"Guys, once in the plane we can't talk like this anymore. It's literally five hours of straight out acting. You understand?"

"Yes. One little slip and my Mother will notice."

"Exactly. Mikhail and I will sit behind Evangeline's parents. Evangeline and Felicita, you can sit behind Adrian's parents. And Alec and Adrian…I guess that leaves you with Felicita's parents or my parents. It's okay, but, um, my Mama might talk to you a lot."

"And my Papa will, too."

"Argh, now I'm all confused," Aloisa whispered tiredly. "We'll see how it goes, alright?"

They warily walked up to the counter behind the adults and gave the flight attendant their tickets. Feliciano was always turning around to make sure that the children were following them. It didn't seem like she suspected anything…not yet, anyways. Felicita was also turning around to see if Lisa had followed her. The last thing she saw before entering the doorway was a blur of frizzy white hair, stalking towards the counter from afar. She really hoped she imagined that.

* * *

Felicita never enjoyed airplane rides. Fact one: they smelled gross; fact two: airplane food was gross; fact three: neighbors were annoying. Especially when the neighbors happened to be your parents and _they_ enjoyed talking to those around, in front, and behind, them. The teens boarded the plane and sat according to the original arrangement. Francis and Elizabeth took window seat, and Aloisa and her 'husband' sat behind them. Their 'children' were seated behind the Russian brother's parents and Adrian and Alec situated themselves behind Felicita's parents.

Alec didn't even seem to be acting anymore. He was hanging all over Adrian and being a complete fag, which the audience and the parents totally ate up.

"_Ma cher_, we should do that in public," Francis commented, craning his neck to see Alec on Adrian's lap, whispering and giggling to him.

All that was well, until who should sit next to Alec but Ethan Cole himself. Alec scrambled off of Adrian's lap as quickly as he'd got up, and avoided eye contact with Ethan until _he _noticed Alec.

"Collin, baby," he exclaimed happily, his hand gently tilting Alec's face towards his. Alec was frozen, his eyes looking admiringly into Ethan's deep blue orbs. "I've been meaning to see you in D.C., but here we are. It must be predetermined fate…it must be desti—"

"Ethan?" Feliciano and Lovino turned around. "Ethan, is that you?"

Adrian was gratefully that they'd interrupted; he was this close to puking. Alec had both hands on his face and was shyly looking at his lap, which annoyed Adrian a great deal.

"Miss Feli? And Miss Lovino?"

"_Si!_ Great to see you again!"

"I didn't know that you two lived in California!"

"Neither did we," Lovino stated dryly.

"I haven't seen you since that last fashion show in Milan in what, ten years ago?" Feliciano smiled. "I haven't been designing a lot of clothes these days though."

"Yours were the best of that night," Ethan agreed. "I have to admit, you look the same, your face is still so lovely, and Miss Lovino is as beautiful as ever."

Feliciano laughed. Lovino turned back in disbelief. "Yeah, and you look like you got ten million more wrinkles on your face."

"_Sorella_, he is not like that! He looks much more experienced and grown-up! You were eighteen when you got on that platform! The youngest of all the models! You know, I see you in millions of magazines now. Congratulations on your achieved fame!"

"It was nothing. Will you be returning to the fashion industry, Miss Feli?"

Feliciano put her finger on her lips in thought. "We'll see," she said.

"Alright, but please excuse me, for I have found a jewel next to m—"

Ethan turned to his side but found that he was staring at the glaring face of Adrian.

"Okay, look here, I don't care if you're a top model or some stupid shit like that, but you're not going to—"

"Ethan!" Alec hurried from the back. "I'm sorry! I'd dropped something and the flight attendant called me over there."

Ethan waved it off. "As long as you're here…" He gripped Alec's hands, making the latter blush and unknowingly batter his long eyelashes cutely. "…nothing else matters."

Francis was watching the whole thing like a soap opera. "_Mon dieu_, Elizabeth. This is even better than my movies! You have got to see this."

"Frog, I'm trying not to get completely drunk by the time I get off this plane, and you're not helping."

"Hey, Iggy!"

"_What is it_?"

"…"

"Well?"

"_Rah, rah, ah ah ah~ Roma, romama~ Iggy is a grouchy, he wants to get laid—_"

"Who wants to?" Francis perked up, expectant.

"Frog, go jump out a window. You, just shut up!"

"Sing with me!"

"Hell no!"

"_Hello, hello, Iggy you called, I can't hear a thing. I have got no—_"

"Shut your trap, you bloody idiot!"

"Fine. I guess I'll just make out with Vanya, then." Allie leaned towards her husband and smashed her lips onto his, to which Ivan responded enthusiastically. Adrian and Mikhail watched in horror. "Mmmh…"

"Elizabeth, you are a genius," Francis mumbled.

"Oh, for crying out loud! Forget it, I need a drink." She summoned a flight attendant over.

Evangeline and Felicita sat terrified behind Ivan; his creepy aura was a hundred times worse than Mikhail's and they thought they could actually _see _it around him: thick, purple squiggly lines of doom that radiated from his body. Allie seemed oblivious as she shifted onto Ivan's lap. They pressed back against the seat and commanded themselves to go to sleep.

* * *

"Hey. Hey, Jan. Jan, wake up. We've landed."

Felicita opened her eyes, her surroundings still fuzzy. Evangeline was nudging her and her pretend mom and dad were standing in the aisle, chatting with each other. Adrian was frowning as he watched his 'lover' still talking with Ethan Cole for the past five hours.

"What time is it?" Felicita asked blearily.

Allie told her, "It's late, baby girl. You've been sleeping the whole time. My, you're a deep sleeper, aren't you?"

Ivan shrugged, "As you are, Allie."

"Hey, not my fault."

They filed out of the plane and followed their parents out to the baggage claim. Elizabeth was entirely drunk and allowed Francis to carry her. Francis didn't try to make any passes at anyone since he was straining under his wife's weight. Lovino had become quiet after two glasses of wine, but Feliciano was as bubbly as ever.

"Which hotel are you guys staying at?" she asked, her arm entwined with Ludwig's.

"The Ritz-Carlton, "Aloisa said.

Adrian nodded, "Same here." He felt a little bit better now that Alec finally remembered that he was supposed to be the one married to Adrian and had returned to his side. After a lot of hand kissing and secret murmurs from Ethan, of course.

"That is such a coincidence! You know, I would've thought that you guys were stalking us!" She gave a small laugh.

"Haha, yes, you would think that," Mikhail told her tonelessly. He and Aloisa both had to endure endless questions for four hours about their fake life together from Francis, and for some reason, they told him that they owned six dogs, wanted to have a third kid whose name would be Bobby, and that Mr. Harlen was the toilet company CEO.

"Oh, well we should get going. We are going to make a short stop somewhere else before we go to the hotel. See you later, _bella_!"

Their parents drifted off with Francis still carrying Elizabeth, Feliciano speeding off with Ludwig to follow her sister, and Allie jumping into Ivan's arms so that she 'could be exactly like Iggy and Francis.'

"Mom, they're leaving!" Felicita said urgently. "Shouldn't we follow them?"

Aloisa waved it off, her head lolling along with Mikhail's. "Let them go, Janet. We'll see them again later at the hotel. Oh man, I am so tired. Honey, go get the luggage." Mikhail staggered off, his creepy aura turned on high to clear the crowd of pushing and shoving people. Aloisa wavered, her eyes nearly closing.

Adrian put his arm around Alec. "Hey babe, aren't you completely tired from that flight?" This was the perfect time to make a scene and win his fifty bucks.

To his surprise, Alec pushed away from him and peeled some cash from his wallet. "Just stay away from me, okay? Here, take it. I'm not playing anymore."

"W-what?"

"You don't love me, so you don't have to push yourself to do this."

"B-but…what do you mean?" Adrian's hand was outstretched, the bills feeling alien in his fingers.

"What I mean is that you don't have to force yourself to do this when our parents aren't here," Alec said simply.

"But why?"

"Because it's not real," Alec said. His voice was held no emotion. He could've been reading off a piece of paper. "Excuse me." Alec walked over to help Mikhail with the bags.

"Come on, Adrian, we're going out now," Aloisa yelled from her place with Mikhail. Alec's back faced him.

"Ah, okay." He followed the others to the exit, his mind racing.

He didn't want it to end like this. Was this it? Was this all just a game to Alec? What about to himself? For a second there he really felt that Alec was going to be there forever with him. He didn't even care right now if he was being a sissy and thinking about some fake relationship that never existed. He'd only met Alec a couple of days ago, and had started this rouse a couple of hours before. But there was something wrong with his chest. It felt empty, empty, empty. He felt like he'd lost his friend, as corny as it sounded in his mind.

"Hey, Adrian, are you okay?" Felicita fell back and walked at his pace, her face peering at his for any sigh of distress. "You and Alec have been really quiet ever since you got on the plane."

"Yeah, we're fine. He just wants to get to that hotel quicker since he's tired."

"If that's what it was," Felicita answered doubtfully. "If there's anything wrong, you can tell me, okay?"

Adrian patted her on the back. "There's nothing wrong. Go and catch up to the rest. I'll be there soon."

But before Felicita left, he slipped Alec's money into her back pocket discreetly. He didn't want it anymore. It didn't mean anything too significant now.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews and alerts and favs! ;A; I love reviews and I read every single one! YOU GUYS WILL ALWAYS BE THE BEST!**

**I wrote this while listening to LUCIFER by SHINee. Such unfitting music for this story, yet so addicting. 8D I can totally imagine Alfred dancing to this, though…**

**(Slight research was done here, but even so, D.C. surroundings are totally alien to me.)**

**Note: Angelina is back! –silence- Okay, okay. But she's here so that I can manipulate her later, oops, I said too much. =.=**

**By the way, as to not confuse people, the times in the segments of the stories are all moving forward. No switching scenes to a certain time, like going from 9:00 scene to 7:00 scene. Even I find that confusing. **

**My imagination had deserted me for a few hours because I was volunteering at this library listening to little kids read (for the entire year, might I add). Fact: reading picture books and Geronimo Stilton can severely damage your creativity. Or at least it did to me. I'm going to have to go every Tuesday teaching them to read and every Thursday tutoring elementary school kids. Gosh, enough ranting, here's Chapter 9! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

Felicita had no idea why their parents were booked in the Ritz-Carlton. It was a luxury hotel, and she was sure that at least _her_ parents were regular people. Once their parents had gone off to who knows where, Evangeline, Felicita, and a near lifeless Adrian were left to push Mikhail and Aloisa since they were so tired. Alec quietly carried most of the luggage, an unusual sight. Felicita also noticed that Adrian kept sending him glances every so often, to which Alec ignored.

They dumped their 'parents' on one of those giant, plushy couches and waited for Evangeline and Alec to check them in.

"I'll come with you," Adrian offered, his eyes looking at Alec's hopefully.

Alec pushed Adrian down on the couches. "It's alright. I think I should do something for us besides sitting there and looking pretty." He did not stutter or get angry to cover up his pleasure that Adrian had asked to help. He was neither happy nor unhappy; his face remained as blank as a sheet of paper.

The siblings strolled to the counter and began conversing with the lady, who couldn't help but look over their shoulder at the rest of their super-model look-alike group. Within a minute they had returned, each holding a little card.

"Suites 434 for Adrian and I, and next door 435 for you. Top floor." Evangeline hauled one of Aloisa's arms over her shoulder, Felicita took the other, and slowly helped her to the elevator. Adrian peered at the bags worriedly, then at Alec. Alec slung most over his back and pulled a couple of those rolling packs.

"Go ahead," he said. "Go help your brother. The other guests think that he is suffering from alcohol poisoning." It was true; Mikhail was staggering uncertainly on his feet and swaying back and forth, his eyes trying to close.

Adrian hesitated. "If you want to talk to m—"

"Hey, Adrian," Alec commanded, finally sighing in exhaustion. "Just go help. I'm sure this can wait."

Immediately, Adrian helped his brother to his feet and dragged him along towards Evangeline. Alec exhaled once more, slowly, then stood straight and lugged the bags despite his fatigue.

* * *

Alec mumbled quiet good nights to the pretend family as the four of them disappeared into their suite. Adrian unlocked the one next door and lifted the bags off of Alec wordlessly. Once Alec stepped inside, however, he saw a problem.

There was only one bed, in the middle of all this giant TV and couches and the loaded fridge. Mikhail had forgotten to add two beds when he was hacking the servers. But it was a huge bed, probably bigger than King sized. Did they make bed that big? Or did they just fuse two mattresses together? Adrian made no comment as Alec closed the door.

The two of them stood in awkward silence. Truth: if Alec hadn't shoved his money to Adrian, they'd be bickering bitterly right about now. The silence settled in until Alec unzipped his luggage and took out his pajamas.

"I'm going to take a shower," he muttered. Adrian nodded, his eyes following Alec's every move.

It was some twenty minutes before Alec stepped out, his blond hair semidried and free of blue. He'd have to apply that later. The TV was on some soap opera channel and Adrian was lying on the edge of the giant bed, snoring.

Alec's face softened. He didn't know exactly why he refused Adrian. But it wasn't the same as refusing; they never had a relationship in the beginning. It was made up by Aloisa and completely last minute; heck, she had near forgotten about it ever since her 'husband' and she had got beaten up by Francis and his questions.

Alec turned off the TV and sat next to Adrian gently. He removed the blond wig and placed his next to the counter, Adrian's silver hair spilling out. The strange strand of hair in the front wouldn't stand down. They sat in compatible silence for a while, though the other didn't know it.

_Was it because I hated him? _Alec pondered, then shook his head slightly. No, he didn't hate him. Though Adrian was a little annoying, he'd never physically harmed Alec in any way. _Was it because of Ethan?_

Alec stopped drying his hair. _Was it? If Ethan hadn't been here, would I have let Adrian go? _He didn't know anymore. At the beginning in the airport, he'd almost imagined that he and Adrian was a legit couple. The last time Adrian had kissed him was…at the park. It felt forced and unnatural to him then. What did that count as? What were they now? Not exactly friends, but definitely not lovers.

He stood up and flipped the lights off, the remaining lamp by the far corner leaving a dim glow. Even in the darkness, the outlines of Adrian's face was set. His eyes were fluttering and he appeared ageless and free, like his mom. His nose matched his father's, and the silver hair reminded Alec's of Ivan, too. He didn't know why he hadn't noticed it before, but Adrian was handsome. Not in the cheap romancing guy sort of way, but truly handsome, like in those films where the setting was in the 1900s and the main character had a traditional regal look.

Alec sighed; no use thinking about it now. For all he knew, Adrian must think that he's a whore and easy. He pulled Adrian to the top of the bed and gently rested his head on the pillow. He got in next to Adrian, edging to the end of the bed so as to not touch Adrian. As Alec drifted off to sleep, Adrian swung his arms and fragilely held Alec close to himself.

* * *

_Room 435, morning, 6:24…_

Felicita woke up groggily, Evangeline still asleep at her side. Her gaze wandered over to Aloisa and Mikhail, who they had pushed onto the bed next to theirs with some effort, but luckily they were both too disoriented to do anything, much less complain. Aloisa wasn't exactly a sleeper with good posture. Somewhere around 3 in the morning she'd rolled off the bed, and the girls had to pick her up since Aloisa didn't notice (or care) at all. Currently, her legs were on Mikhail's chest and she was sprawled on the bed upside-down. Mikhail seemed to have trouble breathing seeing as Aloisa's legs weighed down on him.

Felicita quietly moved Aloisa's leg onto the bed. Now she was completely upside-down and her feet were right in Mikhail's face. But she could hear Mikhail's sleepy exhale as he breathed deeply and slowly.

_It's Monday..._Felicita thought. _I should be in school right…SCHOOL. _Felicita panicked for one second before setting down on the armchair and remembering her location and situation. Besides, Aloisa and Mikhail had forged notes (which look like the real thing, by the way). Mikhail's hand seemed to be able to copy anyone's. She was on a mission. Aloisa's plan had been to find out undercover and leave before their parents got home. It sounded much simpler when Aloisa said it.

She put on a pair of clean jeans and roused Evangeline from her slumber.

* * *

_Room 434, morning, 6:52…_

Alec tumbled around slowly in bed, surprised and a little disappointed to find that there was no one next to him. He heard the showers running and he quickly dressed himself, throwing on a random baggy t-shirt he found on the ground. It went way past his thighs covering his naked legs. He realized that it was not his shirt just as Adrian came out of the shower.

Adrian had only a towel wrapped around his torso. Alec froze. Adrian looked hotter than Ethan, with his blond bangs partly covering his eyes and mouth curved in a small 'o'. Why didn't he notice that before? "Uh, good morning…?"

"Oh, _mon dieu_, I apologize. This is probably your shirt 'cause I just found it on the ground and I—"

"Keep it."

"Huh?"

"It looks good on you. Ah, I mean…" Adrian rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Oh, if that's okay with you…"

"Sure, sure…!"

"I, um, I guess I better go spray paint my hair again." Alec shyly fluttered past Adrian and into the bathroom.

Adrian fell backwards on the bed when Alec closed the bathroom door and covered his eyes with his arm. Stupid! That was stupid! _'It looks good on you…'_ What the hell? It was his old t-shirt. Stop being so nervous! You've got to win Alec back! To show that Ethan Cole! But…Adrian paused. Was it really to show off to Cole? Or did he…like Alec?

After approximately ten minutes of treading a path back and forth on the carpet, Adrian made up his mind to ask Alec to a date. Something nice and fancy. Somewhere Alec liked and places that Ethan Cole will definitely be at.

Adrian waited for Alec to return, but he's been inside for an awful long time. One peek wouldn't hurt…just to make sure he's not injured or anything…

Adrian opened the door a towel a crack and looked in. Alec was leaning towards the mirror, straightening out a lone strand of hair and coloring it blue. The t-shirt outlined his skinny frame and showed his long legs. Adrian was looking directly at Alec's ass when he peeked in.

It took Alec about five minutes to notice Adrian's blue eyes peering in from the crack in the corner of his mirror. He threw bundles of towels at the door, which closed automatically with a click. Alec face was flushed, imagining exactly what Adrian must've been staring at for God knows how long.

* * *

_Lobby, 10:12…_

Alec and Adrian stepped out of the elevator, Alec clinging onto Adrian's arm once again. He knew he was doing it for Aloisa and their cover, but part of him wanted to hold on forever and some dumb one-third of his brain wanted to look for Ethan. _Damn, I'm even thinking like a whore_, Alec thought bitterly. _Now he'll never like me, much less think of asking me out. Wait, how'd it get to asking me out? He doesn't want to, he doesn't, I was the one that refused him when he didn't even do anything yet!_

"Good morning, Mr. and Mr. Bitt!" Aloisa crowed energetically. Her enthusiasm had returned after two mugs of coffee and an energy bar. "Shall we go get some breakfast in town and resume our mission?"

Aloisa was wearing a tight brown dress with laces around the collar and little pearl earrings. Alright, she'd snuck them out from her Mama's storage, but they looked exactly like the rich mom image she was going for. The brown lace hat and the white satin gloves were a nice touch, she might add.

They knew what she meant. "Can we go get sandwiches, Mom? Please? Please? I'm so tired of hotel food." Felicita acted like what she thought a spoiled rich kid would be like. Well, she was basing it on Angelina. A nicer version though. The hotel food looked absolutely gorgeous; one would have to be an idiot not to dine in there, but Felicita presumed that Angelina would reject it

Evangeline sat cross-legged, puffing on Mikhail's fake cigarette. _Dang_, she thought. _Water vapor comes out of the end. This is really cool. _"Listening to Felicita again, Ma?" The guests in the lobby glared disapprovingly at her cigarette, but they smelled no smoke, which was a little puzzling, so they didn't apprehend her.

"Okay, girls. Let's get going before we're late, da—I mean, 'yes?'" Mikhail ordered, rubbing his hand on his forehead. He'd had a fitful dream last night. He had imagined that an elephant was sleeping on his chest, or something similar to that. Aloisa had at last got him out of bed by whacking him with plastic sunflowers Evangeline found in the vase in the living room.

"I want to go to McDonalds," Felicita said. She'd remembered what Adrian once said about his mom loving burgers and eating them everyday. With luck, they'd bump into them.

Mikhail understood her. "Okay. We will go there."

Mikhail offered Aloisa his hand, to which she laid her laced fingertips on. Evangeline and Felicita followed their example and started to bicker amongst themselves about what they thought rich brats would argue about: clothes, shoes, money, what the other had or didn't have. Felicita still glanced around every few minutes or so for Lisa, as impossibly dumb as it might seem. But with a psycho like Lisa, you never know…

Adrian raised his eyebrow at Alec and put his arm around his waist. It felt better, Alec noticed. Adrian seems more relaxed and willing. His hold wasn't locked and stiff, but instead it rested there gently. He laid his head on his shoulders like he'd done at the airport, only now he was doing it because he wanted to. He would enjoy this moment before he had to let go in the end. Alec knew that would happen ultimately, whether he wanted it to or not.

* * *

_California, at school, 10:30…_

"Okay, office lady, I'm going to ask you one more time. Where did Felicita Vargas Carriedo go to?" Angelina slammed her palms on the desk several times.

The office ladies didn't dare refuse Angelina's demands; they knew who her father was, and he could easily remove them from their positions if they did anything to upset Angelina, as unfair as it sounded. The woman took out a note from her desk.

"She went to Washington D.C. to visit a family friend, it says."

"_What?"_ Angelina shrieked. The office lady cringed. She could _not _be missing today! Angelina had spent the whole _freaking _night deciding what to do to get revenge on Felicita and her abnormally huge bodyguard. She rubbed her wrist gently, suddenly reminded of the unpleasant encounters.

She'd brought all sorts of trash and shit she found in the park to stuff in Felicita's locker, but now that Felicita wasn't even here, the whole thing would be pointless. She stamped her foot and uttered a squeal of anger and frustration.

But wait. She hesitated. "Lady, did you say Washington D.C.?"

"Yes, I did."

Washington D.C. That was where her daddy was right now! She could fly over there and tell her daddy all about Felicita, and that little punk will get humiliated in front of everyone in _Washington D.C. _What good fortune she had!

"Lady, I'm going home. Tell my mom that I want a ticket to Washington D.C. _now._"

Before the office lady could reply, Angelina had grabbed her backpack and raced home. She was in such a good mood; she started giggling madly as she ran in her Anne Klein boots. Felicita was going to regret picking a fight with her for her entire life. She couldn't wait to see the look on the loser's face when she trampled on her dignity.

* * *

_Washington D.C., McDonalds, 10:45…_

"Brad, I don't know how your mom can even swallow this," Felicita said, staring at her Big Mac like it was going to grow legs and jump on her face.

Aloisa sipped her Coke and tried to dab the cheese off her Egg McMuffin. Alec silently nibbled on a fry half-heartedly, while Adrian poked at his own burger. God, the thing must've weighed 5 pounds. _Why not just write '78% Diabetes' on the wrapper?_ he thought.

"I don't know," Adrian admitted. "She used to eat twelve of them last year everyday, until she decided to cut it down to…well, she still eats a lot, like how my dad used to sling vodka like it was water."

"And he still does," Mikhail muttered.

"Guys, just wait. I'm sure that your parents are going to walk in any second now—"

Aloisa was cut off by a man's hoarse yell. Nearly entire restaurant quieted down and turned their head to the location of the voice.

"Kesesesesese! Seems like she forgot about you again!"

A small voice answered the man. "That's not funny! I was sure that she'd be here…"

"That's okay, because the awesome me will never forget you!"

"Ah…!"

The man who'd uttered a pleased exclamation was dressed very casually, in a red sweatshirt with a single maple leaf on it, and jeans. A bear hung on the man's shoulder, very still. Felicita couldn't be sure if it was alive or a stuffed animal or dead _and _stuffed. He looked exactly like the male counterpart of Allie, except that his eyes were violet, just like Ivan's, only lighter and softer. Mikhail and Adrian were at a loss for words.

The vein on Aloisa's forehead jumped a little. "This voice sounds familiar…" She turned around and gaped at the first speaker; she couldn't quite make up her mind on what to say.

Finally, a low, angry growl escaped from her throat. It even gave Mikhail the chills. Felicita and Evangeline watched in horror as Aloisa picked up her plastic knife and stabbed it into her poor McMuffin. It took all of Evangeline and Felicita's strength to just hold her in place. Adrian and Mikhail were too shocked at their mom-lookalike to do anything but stare.

"_Onkel _Gilbert…" she snarled dangerously. "He…he left the dogs at home alone…_he's going to pay!_"


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for the review/alerts! I'M STILL HAPPY! –bawls- **

**Oh dear god, I got so sleepy during math today…**

**Btw: Previous "Adrian/Alec hotel scene" are somewhat inspired by Of Mice and Men Soundtrack – George and Lennie. Most Adrian/Alec scenes are somewhat based on Fireflies (suggested by my friend! Thanks! :D). It seems to fit. x3 **

**And Arthur definitely has a tattoo. He totally mentioned it in his Marukaite Chikyuu.**

**I apologize for any grammer/spelling mistakes ahead of time. I will replace/correct this chapter once I get the time to proofreed it more. For something reason, everything looks fine on the Document Manager, and then it turns messed up when it gets published. XD**

**Here it is: Chapter 10! (YEAH, TEN CHAPTERS OF FUN! WOOOOOOHOOOO!)**

"…I'm going to _destroy _him! I'm going to crack his skull, I'm going to—"

"Mom, please calm down!" Felicita and Evangeline were still holding her down on the seat, but Aloisa wasn't Ludwig's daughter for nothing. The girl had enormous strength that could probably match Adrian or Mikhail's. Alec also had to help restrain her.

"Dad! Do something!" Evangeline yelled over the racket Aloisa was making. Mikhail snapped out of his stupor and, with a single fluid motion, lifted Aloisa on his shoulder and quickly left the table. Patrons stared as Aloisa clawed Mikhail's back and tried to jump off.

"Let me go, Mikhail! I'm not going to take this one lying down! Going out with his little toy and leaving Blackie and Aster and—" Aloisa's voice faded away as Mikhail picked up his pace and practically ran away (as best as he could with a wriggling Aloisa) from the restaurant. It was weird for the people to see such a well-dressed lady behave like a maniac.

Gilbert and the blond man stared quietly before settling down on the table behind Felicita and Evangeline.

"I'll have a soda," he said to Gilbert, who walked away to the counter. Adrian watched his mom's 'twin' pick up his bear and put it on his lap. The bear's snout wrinkled and it rubbed its eyes with one furry white paw. Adrian gave a startled gasp and the bear _turned _to him and uttered, "_Who?_"

Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap. It talked. It talked. It even asked him a question. But the man holding it only shifted the bear on his lap and answered the bear exasperatedly.

"It's Matthew, your owner. Right, Kumakiru?"

Alec pushed Adrian's open jaw close with one finger and wondered why Felicita was so stiff and uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" he said.

Felicita leaned forward, slowly and rigidly. "It's Aloisa's uncle Gilbert. He's seen me before."

"The silver haired one?"

"Yeah."

"Shush, you guys," Evangeline scolded quietly. "I need to hear what's going on."

Gilbert came back with a giant cup of soda (Alec didn't know they made them that big!) and two straws. Matthew gave Gilbert a slight tired smile and accepted the straw. Gilbert slid in the seat next to Matthew; just then, Matthew's phone rang, a little jingly bell sound. He flipped it open.

"Hello?" he paused. "Al…oh, I see. Okay, alright. But—okay…I'll see you later."

With another sigh, he explained to Gilbert. "It's Al. She said she's heading to the Lincoln Memorial with Ivan. I guess we won't be seeing them today, but it sure is nice to hear her voice after this long. Glad to know that she's still doing 'awesome', you know?"

Gilbert snorted. "Yeah, and by 'awesome' I think you mean 'obnoxious.' Her levels of awesome can't compete with mine."

"If you say so, Gil. Anyways, we're still going to meet her and everyone else at the World Meeting. Apparently, Al postponed it to Wednesday. I figure that she misses D.C." Felicita and Evangeline pushed their chairs back a little bit more, straining to hear. Since the background noise was so loud, all Alec could see was Matthew's lips moving. He leaned on Adrian, not caring that he was sort of pushing his entire weight on him. Adrian was still too absorbed in Matthew to notice. "By the way, who is taking care of Ludwig's dogs?"

"Some next door lady."

"Gil, I can't believe you."

"Meh. Me coming here probably meant that I'll be shoving that damn stick up West's ass a whole lot further. But it's not like I don't usually do that already." Gilbert crossed his arms and huffed. Matthew apologetically scratched his head.

"I'm sorry, Gil. But…" Matthew started to get embarrassed and fumbled with his phone. "…I haven't seen you for a long time, eh? I maybe…sort of…miss…you…"

With each word his voice got smaller and smaller, but Gilbert's eyes lit up with delight and his mouth flipped into a knowing smirk. Gilbert lifted Matthew's chin with a single hand and pressed his lips gently to the blonde's mouth. It was Alec who gave a startled little 'eep,' as he watched that innocent little kiss become a full out tongue battle. Felicita and Evangeline didn't dare to turn around, but they tilted their chairs a little more and heard a lot of moaning.

The other people didn't even notice; they were too busy stuffing their face with oil-drenched burgers and fries to pay attention to their surroundings. Alec stared disbelieving at them. These people were hypnotized! So that's what fast food chains were for!

"Mmmhff!" Gilbert put one hand behind Matthew's hair, pulling them closer, and Matthew draped his arms around Gilbert's neck reflexively. Alec felt a slight jolt of envy: _did Adrian kiss me like that? Would he? _The couple didn't stop until Matthew's bear got squished between the two and sensed that he would eventually be flattened by Gilbert, to which he uttered a low, whimpering sound. Matthew quickly pushed Gilbert away.

"Ah…I'm sorry! Let's go outside, is that okay?"

Gilbert, his hair messed up and looking obviously as though he wanted more than a kiss, nodded. He picked up the soda cup and started to chug everything in a practiced gulp. Matthew wrestled the cup away from him.

"Okay, I think that's enough soda for you now…so, where to?"

Gilbert had an unreadable glint in his eyes. "My hotel."

Felicita and Evangeline tuned out of the conversation then. They didn't think they needed to hear anymore, or even want to want to. Alec and Adrian watched wide-eyed as Matthew's fake (?) bear suddenly sprang from its owner's lap and attacked Gilbert. Matthew was desperately trying to pull it off of Gilbert's shirt.

"I think we've heard enough," Evangeline decided. "Let's call mom and dad. We're going to follow them to the Lincoln Memorial." Felicita and Alec agreed, but Adrian was silent. All this time, watching the dysfunctional couple, he felt a sense of inadequacy. He was the one that decided to take Alec out, but he knew he couldn't be like those two over there right now. Sure, they weren't the most peaceful lovey-dovey couple out there, but they seemed rather happy and satisfied that way. While he…he didn't make Alec's life any easier or happier by pretending to love him. No, he shouldn't _pretend _to love him…

Well, he was going to change that. He effortlessly picked up Alec bridal-style and marched out the doorway. Felicita and Evangeline didn't mind them too much; it was really Aloisa who cared the most.

Alec squirmed a little in his embrace. "What are you doing?" he whispered savagely. "If, this is another joke, I swear I will tear your guts out from your—"

"Let me take you out to dinner today." Aw, damn it! It just came out! He really needed to plan his words better next time, if there was a next time.

Alec's hesitated, then resumed his glare. "Brad, don't be silly. Now put me down. People are seriously starting to look at us."

"Alec, please go on a date with me. Anywhere you want, I don't care."

Hearing his real name being used, Alec stuttered in embarrassment. "You don't—"

"I really mean it." Well, no way out of the hole now except to make the best of it and reach for his goal. He fixed a straight face at Alec and continued to carry him. Felicita and Evangeline had walked ahead and were reeling off into a cell phone.

"A-alright. If you really do mean it. But put me down! I wasn't kidding about that last part."

Alec straightened his shirt and readjusted his fedora. "B-but no funny business, I'm warning you! If I find out that this is a joke, I will—"

"I'm completely honest, Alec." He said his name again…Alec blushed. _But why would he ask me out on a date now? Was he doing it for the acting, or did he sincerely mean what he said? _

"O-okay…"

With an exuberant beam, Adrian put his arm back around Alec's shoulder, sauntering along happily and not caring if others stared. Alec was taken by surprise and, for the first time in his life, did not want to be seen by others. He buried his face into Adrian's shoulder, probably making the situation more embarrassing for him and the pedestrians.

* * *

They'd met up with Aloisa and Mikhail when they passed a coffee shop. They were both sitting at the counter, back facing the window pane.

"Mom!" The four of them entered the shop, expecting Aloisa to spit flames. But she turned around from her place and waved.

"Hey, baby! I'm sorry for losing my temper, but you know, haha, me and the dogs. We've been best buds for a long time. My entire life, I should think. Funny how they're not getting old and weak, but it's not like I want them to."

Mikhail had bought her lavender gelato, which had effectively calmed her down from her sudden burst of rage. He was sitting next to her, drinking his fourth cup of coffee, while Aloisa chattered happily at his side, munching the waffle biscuit that came along with her dessert. Apparently fully recovered, Evangeline gave her the details of what she heard from Gilbert.

Felicita slid into the booth next to Mikhail. "You okay, Dad? Did she…you know, go crazy?"

"Not really, no. She tried to claw my face out. She's like a little kitten." Mikhail said the last sentence sourly. Felicita inclined her head in thought.

"Must've been bad."

"That would be an extreme understatement."

Aloisa and Evangeline were working out the route to Lincoln Memorial. "I'm estimating it's about 2 miles or so from here. I think we can walk there. By the way," she added quietly to Evangeline, "what's happened with Adrian and Alec?"

She'd noticed that Adrian wasn't forcing himself on Alec, and that Alec wasn't refusing his subtle advances: touches on the shoulder, him ruffling his hair, and such. If they were faking it like they did before, Alec would've made a face when Adrian wasn't looking, and Adrian would stick his tongue out when Alec's back was turned.

"Adrian begged Alec to go to dinner with him."

"And did he agree?"

"I think so…"

The corners of Aloisa's mouth turned up and she looked at the two of them fondly, almost like a mom. Adrian was whispering in Alec's ear, making the latter turn red; the two of them didn't seem like they were pretending anymore. She knew it was a whim of hers at first, the whole 'getting them together for yaoi' thing, but now that she looked at them, they really did complement each other.

She clapped her hands to summon the group together. "Alright, people. We're going to the Lincoln Memorial, two miles or so down the road from here. We are on the lookout for our parents, especially Adrian and Mikhail's parents, because they are definitely there. And even in this disguise, I think it would be best to not let them know that we're the people on the plane. Got that? Okay, let's go!"

Mikhail hurriedly pulled his brother away from Alec for backup, just in case Aloisa decided to go in crazy mode again.

Alec was about to follow Adrian when someone grabbed his wrist and pulled on him harshly. He was about to scream when a hand clasped over his mouth and whoever was holding onto him came into sight.

"Collin, I've been looking all over D.C. for you! For us to meet again and again, it must be a sign! Where have you been all my life?"

Alec tore the hand from his mouth. "Hiding from you. Now please excuse me once again, for I need to get to someplace." He looked around for Adrian, but the group had already exited the door.

Ethan didn't relinquish the hold on Alec's wrist. "Slow down there, baby. Didn't we talk all throughout the plane ride about D.C.? You promised me that you'd go with me on a date."

Alec stopped. "I said no such thing!"

"Ohoho, but you did. I had asked you to accompany me in the airport _and _in the plane, and you had agreed quite happily, I might add."

Alec went red. "I said 'Excuse me' to you at the airport and 'No, I must decline' on the airplane. Sixteen times, _I might add. _Seriously, let go already." He shook it up and down, but Ethan's grip was strong.

"Not until you go out with me, Collin baby. I know you want to; no one has ever refused me before. And if you're good, I can show you a real good time tonight…" The hold got tighter, and Alec's arm was beginning to feel numb.

The guy was a playboy; Alec should've expected that! Shamefully, he remembered the entire plane ride and the whole conversation with Ethan, and he had such a blast talking to him too. Ethan had given him his undivided attention, but now he could plainly see that only wanted him in his bed. Merde_! Where's Adrian when you need him? Hold on, did I just think Adrian? Aw, forget it, I have a pervert crawling up my ass; I'll take help from anyone at this moment! _

Ethan dragged him down the hallway, where not many people could notice them unless they had to go to the restroom or something, which was right down the corner. "Let go!" Alec cried one last time before Ethan smashed his mouth on his. "Mmmmphhhfff! Lefff ggmmm!"

"Stay quiet, you little slut. Do you want people to hear?" _Yes! Of course I do, you complete nincompoop! I'm in high school and you are what, thirty something? This is wrong, I'm going to get raped, I'm only in high school, I'm underage, this should be illegal! I can't push him off, hell, I can't even push Evangeline off when she tries to sock me, I'm dead, oh god, oh god—_

"Hey, wanker! What the hell do you think you're doing to him?"

Ethan slowly looked up, his body still pressed against Alec to keep him from escaping. "Leave us alone, can't you see we're busy?"

The man raised his thick-ish eyebrow and prepared to turn around in distain, until Alec gasped, "Help me!" before Ethan covered his mouth angrily. The man understood the situation immediately.

"Ah, God damn it, this place is just bloody crawling with people like you." With a good, heavy punch to Ethan's face, the man quickly knocked Ethan down and aimed a heavy kick to his crotch. "You, come over with me. And you," he addressed Ethan, who was twitching on the ground and groaning in obvious pain, "…you're lucky I didn't kick too hard."

Alec slid down to the floor, his back on the wall. The man took his hand and led him out to the café again. Alec's legs were trembling, but the man pretended not to notice as he plunked him down on one of the seats.

"Lad, drink this." He pushed his cup of tea over to Alec. "That was some nasty encounter back there. I'm used to dealing with them, however." Alec stared. "It's because I'm living with one. Used to come up to me all the time, and still does. Don't know how I gave in, but I did."

With a shaky hand, Alec lifted the cup and took delicate sips, just like his mother did. He studied the man: short, spiky blond hair, eyebrows just like him, or rather, his mom, tight low-cut black jeans and a designer shirt somewhat ripped, showing a little of his belly, where a tattoo was poking out.

The man went on, "I got so wasted last night. Just got off the plane the night before, you know? Been drinking on the plane, and after I recovered from that I got hammered again in the hotel. Can't bloody remember anything from the night before or anything on the plane. That's why I came in here with this major headache, and that git over there didn't make it much better. But he won't be walking for a while. I reckon he'll be on that ground for another fifteen minutes."

Alec nodded. "Thank you, Mister."

The man waved it off. "No need for that, boy. I'm Arthur. Arthur Kirkland."

Alec sputtered in his tea, and Arthur patted him on the back. "What's the matter?"

He shook his head madly, his brain racing. _My Maman's_ _maiden name is Kirkland! Is Kirkland a common last name? He seems to be British, maybe he's related… _

"Excuse me, Mr. Kirkland, but do you have any siblings?"

Arthur took on a tired expression. "Sure I have siblings. Brothers. Got one in Scotland. One in Northern Ireland, and the other in Wales. Don't meet up too often though, we're not exactly the best bunch when we get together."

_So they weren't. _"Oh…okay, Mr. Kirkland, thanks again for what you did back there, but I think I should leave before Ethan Cole wakes up."

"Ethan Cole, the model? I knew he was no good. I told Francis over and over again to stop putting him in the magazines—"

"_Mon cher_, where did you go to? I've been walking up and down the streets looking all over for you!" Alec stiffened. Shit, his dad just _had _to pick this time to walk in. But Francis didn't seem to recognize him as Collin Bitt, for he sauntered past Alec and gave Arthur a peck on the cheek, making Arthur blush.

"And what do we have here? Would you like to tell Big Brother Francis your name, _mon chaton_?" Alec wanted to both hit his forehead on the table and thank God that his dad was so stupid at times.

"Collin Bitt, sir."

"Collin Bitt…" Alec cringed, but Francis continued, "doesn't ring a bell. But that's only because Arthur here kept me up _all night _drinking and—"

"Shut up, frog! Keep the poor boy out of this and go jump out a window!" The man slapped Francis upside the head in clear embarrassment.

"I'm thinking of something else I can jump on—"

"Collin!" Adrian rushed back into the open door, but froze when he saw Francis. "I was looking everywhere for you!"

Alec stood up quickly. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kirkland, but I have to leave now. Thank you for everything!"

"_Mon cher_, come back and visit!"

"Shut up! Goodbye, Collin! Don't run into that git again! Lad," he said to Adrian, "keep him safe, will you?"

Adrian was not expecting the giant hug when Alec rushed up to him. He clung on him fearfully, not daring to let go.

"What's wrong, Collin?" They walked outside, Adrian's arm around Alec's shoulder and Alec pressing against him. "Felicita noticed that you didn't follow, so—"

"Ethan tried to rape me."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Alec was in distress. "But that man, Mr. Kirkland, he saved me—no! Don't go back in!"

"I'm going to kill that motherfu—"

"No! Mr. Kirkland already beat him up enough! You'll get in trouble!"

"I don't care—"

"My dad is in there, do you want our cover to be blown all the way back to California? Ethan is probably still twitching on the ground or something, he can't even pick himself up…"

"And are you okay with that?"

"Huh?"

"Are you fine with that bastard trying to rape you?"

"Well, no, but—please don't go! Stay with me…"

Adrian stopped, and his expression softened. "Alright...But the next time I see him I swear I will beat the shit out of him."

Alec nodded, but his mind was not set on Ethan. He was thinking about Arthur Kirkland, and how much he acted like his mother. The way he conversed with Francis, and how Francis acted around him…especially that last smack on the head, his mother did that often to his dad.

Was…Francis cheating on his mother? _I'd expected it, but I wasn't expecting it to be a man, or that I'd ever meet him, or that Dad's boyfriend was going to _save_ me from a rapist. Maman is going to throw a fit. _

Suddenly, he just hated his dad right there and then. He wanted to punch his lights out for being unfaithful to Elizabeth, for being a whore and ruining their family. He didn't know about Arthur Kirkland yet; he should be angry at him, but he couldn't bring himself to hate the man that had just punched Ethan Cole. Alec didn't exactly know what to do; he silently wandered to wherever Adrian was taking him, his heart getting heavier and heavier.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thank you for the favs/alerts/reviews! –cryforeverplz- TOO HAPPY. TOO TOO HAPPY—EXPLODES KABOOM.**

**Once again, slight research was attempted, so please excuse me if the facts are a little different. **

**[SPOILER] The next chapter will be titled 'Idle Day.' Please look forward to development between the kids and upcoming characters/nations. :D**

**Reminder for the confused: This chapter is still Monday. Tomorrow is Tuesday ('Idle Day' chapter), and meeting is Wednesday. Okay, that will be all. I'm off to study for mah math quiz~! oTL**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

Felicita was given the idea that there are more people who came to tour D.C. than lived here. There were some businessmen and professional looking people as she and the others came close the White House. At least that's what Aloisa said: she couldn't exactly locate the building from Seaton Park.

Evangeline dragged her black high heeled feet sluggishly. "We should've taken a cab."

Aloisa was not discouraged. She hung on the Mikhail's arm, her earlier gelato experience totally boosting her enthusiasm by 120%. "No worries, we're almost there, you can see the Washington Monument from here. We'll spot Mikhail's parents in a second."

Evangeline sighed, her breath fluttering the strand of plasticky brown hair that fell in front of her face. "But I didn't know two miles would be so strenuous in high heels. My feet are killing me; I think I got blisters on my blisters."

"That's silly, Victoria, and a little gross," Aloisa said. She'd been prancing around in her high heels longer than Evangeline, her footsteps still landing in a dainty plop on the sidewalk. _Probably because her mom taught her to walk in these feet manglers_, Evangeline thought.

Felicita had a rush of unexpected homesickness wash over her watching her friends talk with one another…it was a lot like her shopping trips with her Mama, or when both her parents came with her to the park to feed the Canadian geese or something.

"Something the matter, Jan?" Evangeline nudged her gently, her green eyes peering worriedly at her, her British accent starting to slip a little.

Felicita rubbed her eyes with both fists. "Nothing is, just got allergies. It's really dusty here."

"Here we are," Aloisa proclaimed, her arm sweeping the air around her. "Lincoln Memorial."

They walked up the steps together, Adrian picking up Alec carrying him princess style, making the latter laugh.

"Learned that one from your dad, _non_?"

"Maybe."

They sat on the topmost step. Felicita read the engravings above the statue: "_In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever._" Abraham Lincoln observed his dominion with a wise expression, his gaze wandering above Felicita and over to the park and beyond, extending to the rest of America. Meanwhile, Mikhail produced two binoculars from his backpack and gave one to Aloisa.

"Woah, woah, woah," Evangeline said, "what are you doing with that?"

"Looking through it, duh," Aloisa muttered, straining to find any signs of their parents.

"Isn't that too conspicuous?" She put both hands on her waist, but Aloisa paid no attention.

"If you want to find anybody, you gotta use this. People look like ants from up here…"

"Target sighted, Mrs. Harlen," Mikhail said, his smile slowly returning. "My папа and mystery blond man coming in from your right."

Aloisa's shifted her line of sight. "Where's your mom?"

"Unidentified."

"I see them now. They're coming towards us. Brown jacketed man and Mikhail's dad, target confirmed."

"They're getting bigger."

Adrian snatched the binoculars away and stuffed them back into the backpack. "That's because they're getting _closer_, idiot. And it's 'Targets getting closer,' not 'bigger.' Didn't you learn anything from your video games?"

Mikhail glared. "I know what I'm supposed to know, and that is a lot more than you'll ever know."

"Oh, shut up, guys," Evangeline said. "They're setting down on the bottom-ish steps. But they're too far; I can't hear them."

Now everyone could see the two of them clearly. The blond man wore a tan uniform under his bomber jacket, which was labeled with a '50' on the back. He had on these dark brown boots that had a furry white lining at the top, his pants somewhat tucked into his shoes. Clear blue eyes were behind his glasses and his yellow bangs, but only one strand stood up from the others.

"Adrian," Alec uttered, "you have the same strand of hair as that man."

Mikhail took out two small round objects that appeared almost identical to cookie chips and expertly let them fall down the steps. One hit the blond and bounced back gently on his jacket. The other was a lucky throw: it stopped right behind Ivan without touching him. Then Mikhail gave Alec and Evangeline both iPod shuffles.

"What the hell are we supposed to do with this?" Adrian demanded.

"Listen to it," Mikhail replied. "The chips I've thrown down are connected to these, so you can probably hear them."

"What, did you rob an electronic store to get these?" Alec took one earbud from Adrian and plugged it in; Adrian did the same with the other one.

"Brother, I have many ways of accessing information, but these are not real iPod shuffles. I built them to make it look like the real ones. For a science exhibit in elementary school. But they disqualified mines because they thought I was stealing a trademark or something."

Evangeline shared hers with Felicita, and Mikhail took out another for himself and Aloisa. They quieted down and listened to the crackle of static until it cleared out. Ivan's voice rang in their ears.

"I still do not understand, Зайчик мой, why you would postpone the meeting. Wouldn't you want to get back to your kids?" Mikhail and Adrian shivered upon hearing their dad call this man his 'bunny.' Everyone startled when Ivan put his arms around the blond, who leaned in.

"I do, I do very much," said the blond man, "but it's been a while since I've even sat here. It's a little like homesickness, Vanya."

Felicita nodded unconsciously to the blond's statement. The Russian brothers got further creeped out when the man said their mom's pet name for their dad.

"I think I understand, Alfred. Is that why you are wearing your old uniform?"

Aloisa and Felicita concentrated on the other man's response. So this was Alfred, the one who organized the whole thing. Alfred pulled a bit on his collar.

"I guess so, but this isn't that old. Only fifty years or so, I think."

"So why did you take me here?"

"You know, saying hi to Old Abe Lincoln before we hit the road—no, you idiot, I wanted to talk to you about how we are going to plan the meeting."

"And what about it?"

"Our kids…they'll have to know. I don't know how to tell them."

"It does sound a bit ridiculous when you think of it." The two fell into silence after that, until Alfred spoke up.

"Remember the Cold War, Ivan?"

"Of course I do. You wanted to tear my 'commie head off,' as I recall."

"And you wanted to nuke my ass into a million pieces. How did we become this?"

Ivan was quiet for a moment, but with more confidence and certainty, he said, "Because I love you, Alfred. Люблю тебя всем сердцем, всей душою"

Adrian and Mikhail tore the earbuds away. Mikhail turned off the connection to the chips on all of the iPod shuffle lookalikes, much to Aloisa's indignation.

"What was that for!" she shouted. "We were getting to the best part!"

Mikhail regarded her coldly. "I do not think I need to know about my папа's affair with another man before time. They have already stated in their conversation that they will tell us soon. What if the meeting was not about government matters? What if it was just this? What if they were just going to discuss this at their 'meeting'? Did you ever think of that, _Nancy_?"

Aloisa crossed her arms. "I have no doubts about what I think. What you father does with his free time does not concern me, but I imagine that this meeting is not just about what you think. Our dads are not just suddenly going to turn gay and leave us and live in D.C., right, Collin?"

Alec jumped. "Yeah, I think that, too," he lied. He didn't want to upset Aloisa. If Mikhail was angered, at least Adrian will probably back him up.

Mikhail stared belligerently at Aloisa, but gave in when the others did not defend his questions. "Fine. But I have a request. For the rest of today and the whole of tomorrow, there will be no interacting with our parents in anyway. I want us to take a break from all of this until their meeting starts, whatever that may be about. Is that not part of what we came to D.C. for?"

Felicita returned the earbuds to Mikhail. "I think that would be a good idea. Victoria really needs to rest her feet."

Aloisa glanced at her friend helplessly, then gave a small resigned sigh. "Oh, alright. I'm sorry, guys, I think I'm going out of control. And Mikhail…sorry about the whole thing at the coffee shop."

Mikhail's contorted expression relaxed. "It is okay," he said quietly. Now he was just feeling hurt that his dad, his role model, was possibly deciding to leave his мама and him and his brother behind.

"Okay, guys," Aloisa said tiredly. She threw her cell phone at Felicita. "Felicita, here, call a cab. Tomorrow we'll set out and spent the day how we want to, alright? We'll enter the White House with a tour group or something on Wednesday."

She turned around, but Alfred and Ivan had already left. A woman with light brown hair was in their place, clicking madly on her pink digital camera and giggling to herself. Aloisa spied the outlines of the Russian brother's parents in the camera frame. She walked up to her.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

The woman answered cheerfully, still flipping through pictures of Ivan and Alfred from multiple angles, "Oh, I was just taking pictures of these two. They are just so adorable, but they hate it when I do it right in front of their faces, so I figured, why not take pictures _away_ from their line of sight? Clever, huh?"

Aloisa saw her opportunity. "Have you, by any chance, been to Yaoi-Con before?"

The woman's eyes sparkled. "Been there? Girl, I help host it! Why, you a fan?"

Aloisa couldn't contain her squeal. "Of course I am! I was totally ogling at these two before; they are just so perfect, right?"

"Yes, oh my god, yes! Say, what's your name?"

"Nancy Harlen. My husband is just up there we're deciding about what to do tomorrow in D.C."

The woman grinned. "I'm Elizabeta Héderváry, nice to meet you! You know, I can take you shopping tomorrow, if you don't mind. I know places where we can find the best dresses and the most awesome shoes ever." She winked. "By the way, who are those two?" She pointed at Adrian and Alec, who were busy cuddling each other and talking.

"Oh, that's just Brad and Collin. They're with us, but they're going on a date tomorrow," Aloisa said hurriedly, not wanting to ruin the perfect chance for them to officially get together. Elizaveta frowned slightly in disappointment.

"That's too bad. Sometimes I work in a manga editing department, and I only wanted to introduce these two to my artist. But no matter. I'll tell him later, then. Where should I meet you?"

"Oh, I'll wait in the coffee shop around the corner over there, is that okay?"

"It's fine." The woman's phone rang, a tinkling tune. "I'm sorry—Hello? Oh, Roderich, okay, okay. Yeah, that's fine. Bye!" The woman sighed happily. "That was my ex-husband," she said. "He wants me to hurry 'cause he's taking me out to dinner."

Aloisa's raised her eyebrows. "He wants to take you out to dinner?"

Elizaveta's eyes twinkled happily. "Roderich and I've known each other since we were kids, and the marriage and divorce was really a political thing. But I think he wants to get to know me better before he does anything. God, he's such a dear. I don't know if I'm going to get back together with him though…he's an old friend, like an older brother."

"I see…"

"Well, I gotta run! I'll see you tomorrow, Nancy!" Elizaveta bounced lightly on her feet and floated away, magically avoiding obstacles and people while still playing with her camera.

Aloisa smiled back at her friends, who were making their way down the steps. Adrian had picked up Alec again and both were back in high spirits, Adrian apparently have forgotten his encounter with Alfred and his dad. Mikhail trudged sullenly down, but was surprised with a friendly hug from Aloisa.

"We'll go shopping tomorrow, okay? We can do anything that you want there, and we'll buy lots of stuff and have fun, alright?" It was exactly like talking to a little kid, but Mikhail's expression was so forlorn and depressed that Aloisa couldn't help herself. She ruffled his hair with a sad smile as Mikhail nodded like a little kid.

Evangeline gestured to afar. "Cab's here," she said. It was only 3 in the afternoon, but she was genuinely exhausted.

* * *

The ride back was obviously shorter than how they got to the Lincoln Memorial. Evangeline tried not to point that out to Aloisa, who held Mikhail's arm as a sister would a little brother. _She must've felt bad_, Evangeline thought. _But she's still as persistent as ever about the meeting._

Mikhail's brother was clutching Alec's hand and leading him to their room, uncharacteristically responding to Alec's questions and comments. As Adrian unlocked the door, Alec was glad that he'd accepted his invitation to a date. _He's never shown his emotions before, possibly because he was afraid of rejection…I'm his opposite; I express my affections openly so that I wouldn't feel empty._

The door closed behind him. Adrian fumbled with his jacket and opened the drawer to put it in. _I open myself to everyone, but I've faced a lot of scars before. More than I can ever count. _Alec watched Adrian take out a hanger. _But if I lose him, this will be the worst one yet. _

Alec automatically wrapped his arms around Adrian's neck just as the latter turned around. Adrian was really much taller than him, so he stood a little on his tippy-toes to reach him. Surprised but pleased, Adrian accepted the hug and returned it affectionately.

"What's the matter?" he murmured into Alec's hair.

Alec leisurely shook his head. "It's nothing." His voice was muffled by Adrian's shirt.

The two stayed in this position for a couple of minutes, just holding each other in front of the doorway. Adrian closed his eyes and exhaled contently, debating that it probably had something to do with Ethan. Alec, on the other hand, was pondering rapidly.

_He's a nice guy deep inside. I think I might hurt forever if he was to leave. But— _His grip on Adrian's shirt tightened for a brief second, then relaxed. _But if I was the one leaving him, would he feel the same way?_

* * *

_Room 435… _

Evangeline had never been so happy to lie down on her bed, ever. She threw her wig away (which landed on a nearby armchair) and carefully removed her fake piercings. Evangeline delicately kicked off those darn high heels and examined her feet. No, they weren't blistering, but they were a light red and awful sore. Aloisa and Mikhail had gone out again to shop for groceries; Evangeline had decided to cook tonight when she saw that the room came with a kitchen equipped with a stove, oven, and all sorts of other cooking utensils.

Felicita was busy checking out the fridge and its contents. Rows and rows of soda and bottled water stood in line like little carbonated soldiers.

"Throw me a couple of those," Evangeline said from their bed. "I'm gonna blend them."

"Err, okay." Felicita brought seven random bottles and put them on the table. Evangeline crawled over on her knees. "We got Mountain Dew, Pepsi, Diet Coke—"

"Ew, put that back. I want real Coke." Felicita traded it with another red can.

"…okay, Sprite, Fanta, Dr. Pepper, and Lemon Italian soda. Wait, what's that one doing in here?"

"I'm going to put them all in a jug…"

"Isn't that kind of nasty?" She watched the Dr. Pepper can and the lemon soda combine into a light brown mud color.

"No, not really. I can make things taste pretty good."

The concoction was a pretty unappetizing color; the remaining orange from the Fanta was swirling around until it disappeared into the dark fizzy mass. Felicita hesitantly took a sip from her glass.

"Holy crap, this _is_ good_._"

Evangeline folded her arms. "I told you. I watch my Dad cook all the time, so I sort of make my own recipes for everything now. I help him keep Mom and Alec out of the kitchen when he's cooking."

Felicita gulped down the whole cup and poured herself some more. It tasted _incredible, _as disgusting as it looked_. _"How come?"

"Because they will destroy the kitchen, of course. Mom tries to cook, but she burns everything, and Dad had to run in with a fire extinguisher once. Alec's food turns into some sort of mush. I don't really know what happens in there."

"We're back!"

Aloisa and Mikhail unlocked the door and came inside, arms full of plastic bags. Felicita took some from Aloisa and helped her carry them across to Evangeline. Evangeline peered at the contents in the bag, then clapped her hands.

"Okay, just to let everyone know, today's menu is _boeuf bourguignon_, _purée de pommes de terre_, and _flan de fraise_. Is that alright?"

"What the hell is that?" Mikhail asked, setting the groceries on the counter.

"Um, beef stew, mashed potatoes, and strawberry pudding."

"That was easier to say, da?" He smiled as he plunked down on the couch and turned on the TV.

"But I'm going to make them," Evangeline replied airily. "You're about to taste some good, unprocessed homemade cooking. Aloisa, can you help me open these?"

"Sure! They all sound pretty good to me."

"Felicita, can you go call Alec and Adrian over for dinner? I bet they're getting pretty hungry. I'll make some more of that soda later, now get going!"

Felicita set down her glass; she hadn't realized that she was holding it. Evangeline chattered on as she prepared the ingredients, Aloisa laughing at something Evangeline had told her. Even Mikhail soon came over and leaned on the counter, he too beginning to grin naturally at whatever Evangeline had said. Felicita put on some slippers and opened the door, her homesickness unknowingly evaporating to the back of her mind all this time.


	12. Chapter 12 Idle Day

**A/N: Reasonable amounts of research was attempted, so try not to grill me about it. Document Manager took some words out for some reason, so I'm sorry if some sentences look incomplete. I hope it's not. XD**

'**Inspirational' songs (YEAH BABY!): Of Mice and Men—George and Lennie, Owl City—Fireflies, Utada—Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, SHINee—Replay **

**Annnnd…character ages revealed! Aloisa, Adrian, Alec, and Mikhail are all sophomores. Felicita, Angelina, and Evangeline are freshmen; Ethan Cole is about 28 or so. **

**And okay, I lied about not going back from time period to time period, but this is a flashback. It doesn't count as much. LOL!**

**Next chapter title: 'Idle Night,' last part of the Idle Chapters. [SPOILER] Adrian/Alec goodness is stuffed in the next chapter like fillings in a dumpling! Yummy! :D**

**I want to especially thank Atemu'sLotus for her BEAUTIFUL FANART of Chapter 5, the Russia and America scene! I swear I started to laugh and half-cry when I saw it, I was so surprised! It's absolutely **_**gorgeous! **_**It's exactly how I imagined them to look like (look at their rings! Look at it! So cute!) You're the ultimate best, dear! Everyone, please go look at it, it's amazing! THANK YOU SO MUCH! -starts to bawl again- You and all my reviewers have totally motivated me! I am truly touched…Q.Q Thank you all again and forever for staying with this story and all your kind reviews! 3 **

**h t t p :/ unacalley101. deviantart. com/ art/ Back-To-School-Night- 182222223? q= &qo= (remove spaces) And listen to this while you look at it. IT'S AN AWESOME COMBO! XD ****h t t p :/ www. youtube .com/ watch?v= uL0W9Yc0-8I**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

_Tuesday, 10:13, Room 434…_

The first thing Adrian saw when he woke up was Alec's sleeping face. They were both on the bed, sheets tangled together; Alec head was nestled in the crook of his neck, and his arm was hovering protectively over him. He could feel him inhale and exhale, and that was about when he noticed that Alec was wearing his oversized t-shirt again.

His mind raced to the night before: he remembered eating what he thought was hotel food, but it turned out to be Evangeline's cooking, drinking Evangeline's nasty-looking-but-tasted-oh-so-good-juice soda thing (like…6 cups), going back and falling onto the bed like a log, and…what was the other thing before that?

* * *

Monday night, Room 435…

_Felicita pulled Adrian aside when Evangeline and Aloisa were doing the dishes, and Alec and Mikhail were chatting about D.C. and whatnot. Evangeline was throwing comments at the boys from time to time, so the background noise level was pretty high._

_Felicita dragged him to their room and pushed him down on the bed, giving him a blank expression. _

_Her eyes were searching. "Do you love him?"_

_Adrian was taken by surprise. "I-I..."_

_Felicita had a calculating look on, so Adrian summoned up his voice and said, "Of course I do."_

"_Have you told him yet?" She put both hands on her waist, questioning. _

"_No…but I plan to."_

"_Well, you better do it fast. I was listening to Evangeline talk with Aloisa a moment ago. She said, 'Alec acts strong and likes to be the center of attention, but even the center of attention gets rejected, but Alec pretends to recover the moment the other refuses. What Mother and Father don't know is that he holds it in until he sinks into this depressed state and starts to blubber into his pillow at night.'"_

_Felicita paused, letting Adrian register the news before continuing, "'God, I remember this one time, I think it was the year before, when this guy James Stanton who he'd been secretly going out with for almost 2 years—what? Oh, Alec is a sophomore. So anyways, James decided to break it off with him 'cause he's going to college in some George Washington University in D.C. That was the worst; I imagine he's still not over that. I just wish he'll never get hurt like that again.'"_

_Felicita regarded him emotionlessly. "What I think…is that Alec is more insecure that he looks. I might not have known him for a long time, but I see him glance at you once in a while when you're not looking, just to make sure you're still smiling. He's being wary after that episode with James, I guess."_

_Adrian gaped a little in surprise as Felicita went on. "Alec is a nice guy, I just hope this whole 'lovers' thing isn't just a whim of yours."_

"_It's not, it's really Aloisa—"_

"_But didn't you notice that Aloisa had stopped taking out her camera or pushing you towards each other whenever she sees you two? I think she realized that this is what you two need to work out by yourselves. Do you get this?"_

_Adrian nodded, and Felicita smiled gently. "George Washington University is awful close to our hotel, you might even meet this James. And you have that Ethan Cole to worry about. I think you should keep him close by."_

_Adrian flared a little at the mention of Ethan Cole, but Felicita's worried eyes calmed him down. She really did care about Alec. "Thank you, Felicita. I'll remember that."_

That was what she'd told him the night before, he completely remembered now. Adrian moved a stand of hair that had fallen on Alec's face. There was no sign of any depression or evidence that he had been emotionally damaged before; Alec's expression was relaxed and free of worries.

He didn't know why he did this, even when he pondered about it later on, but for now he just barely pressed his lips to Alec's forehead. Then he slipped quietly out of bed, deciding that he would take Alec on that date today.

* * *

_Tuesday, 10:32, Room 435…_

Aloisa reached blindly for the hotel phone, which had started to ring like crazy. Wait, she didn't have a bedside table on her side; she sleepily climbed on top of Mikhail, who groaned under Aloisa's weight on his back. Evangeline and Felicita were bustling in the kitchen, whipping up something that smelled wonderful. She groped for the handle and lifted it up to her ear.

"Hello?" she said irritably. Who the hell would call this room anyways?

"Good morning!" answered a bright, cheery voice. "It's Elizaveta, from yesterday? I looked up your name and checked a bunch of hotels. My, that took a while…I hope I didn't wake you up!"

"Uh, o-of course not!" Aloisa jumped off of Mikhail; she didn't realize that she was still kneeling on his back. "So what's up, Elizaveta?"

"I just wanted to confirm that we're meeting at the coffee shop. In fact, I'm here right now eating breakfast! Their sandwiches are really good…Roderich went to some piano store, actually, I'm not sure, but he'll call if he needs anything…but is that time right, Nancy?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, that's fine."

"Well then, let's meet at twelve o' clock and get lunch at the mall. Is your husband coming with you?"

"I guess so—"

"That's wonderful! See you at twelve!" The woman hung up, her voice still ringing in Aloisa's head.

"Breakfast is ready!" Felicita yelled and appeared out of the kitchen with a piece of French toast in her mouth. Mikhail moaned in pain and rolled out of bed, hitting the carpet with a heavy thud. "I'm going to go call Alec and Adri—"

Felicita stared at Mikhail and chomped on her bread. "What's the matter with him?"

Aloisa shrugged. "Bad dream, probably."

* * *

_Café, 12:06…_

"Hi! Over here!" Elizaveta gestured the group over, her hand holding a small tea cookie. She was at the counter drinking tea out of a flowered porcelain cup.

Everyone was harried and had hastily gotten out of bed and swallowed their breakfast (Evangeline-style, which tasted marvelous, of course) after Elizaveta's phone call. Today Alec's highlight was purple, but that was only because the blue dye dried up and Adrian and him had to run to a drug store and randomly find a dye spray can. Elizaveta looked at the two of them interestedly.

"Hey boys! I'm assuming that you are Brad and this adorable darling here is Collin, am I right?" She winked. "Nice to meet you, I'm Elizaveta." When they shook her hand, Alec thought that he imagined the woman was holding their hands for a little too long.

"And these must be your daughters, Nancy!" She turned to Evangeline and Felicita, who flinched as Elizaveta removed her fake glasses. "What beautiful green eyes! You know, I've seen only one other person with _this_ emerald green. Who was he again…? I think that would be my friend's sister's husband! If I got that right, that is…"

Her gaze shifted to Mikhail, who'd been trying to inch away from the woman. "Mr. Harlen! What a pleasure to meet you! You'll be coming with us today, right? Of course, that's great! Let's go to the mall before it gets any more crowded. You know how D.C. is!"

Elizaveta tugged on Aloisa and Mikhail with both her arms, smiling maniacally. Aloisa shouted back to her 'kids,' "I'll call you guys later!"

Felicita and Evangeline glanced at the barista, who'd been peeking at them from the corner of her eyes. Felicita felt embarrassed for that; she probably remembered Aloisa from before. The two slid on the booths and ordered cookies and tea.

This was his chance, it was really more like a take it or leave it situation now. "Alec," he muttered smoothly, putting his arm around Alec and steered him out of the coffee shop, "why don't we go to Seaton Park again and take a long walk?"

Alec gave him a funny look. "Uh, sure…?"

Crap, wrong move. Not cool. James Stanton probably used this one on him before. He was getting increasingly nervous with every block they passed. Alec walked silently and refused to curl up to Adrian like he usually did.

"Alec—"

"That's George Washington University," Alec said in monotone. Adrian looked up at the building; there were students hanging out on the courtyard and discussing with each other. Couples kissed under the shade of trees; it was basically like their high school, except with adults.

…_James decided to break it off with him 'cause he's going to college in some George Washington University in D.C… I think you should keep him close by…_

Adrian ruffled Alec's hair, getting Alec's attention for a moment. He returned his gaze to Adrian. "Oh, I'm sorry. I must've gotten kind of distracted…"

Adrian leaned closer. "Want to talk about it?"

Alec sighed. "My last boyfriend went to this school. I think he's still here. He was the only one I've ever really loved. Oh, forget it. It's all in the past anyways."

_But what about me? _"Alright, Alec."

But Alec seemed to feel a little better letting that off his chest, for he exhaled and reclined back onto Adrian. They sauntered to Seaton Park, Alec starting to smile as Adrian's arm began to feel familiar.

* * *

_Café, 1:34…_

Felicita munched on her sandwich, she and Evangeline still in the café, eating lunch. Their sandwiches were good, but Felicita thought that she preferred Evangeline's cooking over this. Evangeline herself held a cup of steaming Earl Grey, reading a magazine she'd gotten from the rack in the back of the shop.

God, they had the entire day to do nothing. At least the others were preoccupied. They could just stay in this coffee shop until the sun burned out. This was so unfair….and boring…and Felicita wanted some more of Evangeline's soda mix…

Just then, a little Asian girl in ribbons and frills came into the shop. She had no parents with her, but she wasn't daunted, for she attempted to scale the bar booth and sit next to Felicita. Her two brown curls (that was somehow was connected at the bottom) flounced up and down as she struggled to get to the top of the high chair.

"Uh…lemme help you with that." Felicita easily lifted the girl up and sat her down. The little girl readjusted her hair and patted her pink dress to make sure that it was still in place.

"Thank you very much, Miss."

Wow. She had nice manners. "U-uh, no problem. Where are your parents?"

The little girl was in thought as she put one finger to her lips. "I think I lost them in the mall. It's okay, they'll find me."

Felicita stared at her; normally a kid would start crying by now, especially one as young as her, but she displayed incredible determination that her parents would show up. "So…what's your name? I'm Felicita." She didn't bother to use her fake name; this was only a little girl, anyways.

"My name is Yukiko Karpusi, Felicita-san."

Evangeline noticed the girl. "Hey there, Yukiko, I'm Evangeline. So what do your mommy and daddy look like?"

The girl was in thought again before she answered. "My Mommy has shoulder length black hair in a bun, and she is wearing a dress the color of sakura flowers in the spring."

Now both girls were semi-shocked. They'd expected a more kid-oriented answer, and instead they got one that could've come from a seventy year old man. Was this Yukiko a prodigy child on TV or something? "And your Daddy?"

"Oh, that one is easy. When you see a lot of kitties, you will know it's him. Kitties are their best friends, you know, and they follow him even if they are not their owner. And look, I suppose that is my μπαμπάς."

"Excuse me?"

Yukiko covered her mouth with one hand. "Oops, it slipped, I apologize. I meant to say 'daddy.'"

Woah. This girl was deep, no doubt. "No, it's alright, but is that your daddy there?"

There, outside the coffee shop, were an army of cats patting the store window. A Caucasian man in a white T-shirt with Yukiko's weird curl and an Asian woman in a light pink skirt hurriedly opened the door at the same moment the cats dispersed. The woman sighed in obvious relief as the man swept Yukiko off of the booth.

"Daddy, put me down!" Yukiko laughed. Evangeline and Felicita couldn't help staring; _this_ man was built like a Greek god, not even supermodel Ethan Cole could top that.

The woman approached them and gave them a slight bow. "Thank you very much, girls. I hope my daughter has not been a nuisance to you." The girls couldn't help but to incline their heads. It felt like the right thing to do.

"She wasn't, she was very well behaved. In fact, she's the most behaved kid I've ever seen."

The woman smiled gently. "Well, that's wonderful. I'm sorry I can't give you girls anything to—"

The girls shook their heads embarrassedly, refusing whatever gifts they were going to receive, but all the woman took out of her purse were two business cards. One was light green around the borders, bearing the name: Kiku Honda; the other was a simple card outlined with brown lines printed with the name: Heracles Karpusi. There was nothing else on the card, no phone number, no address.

"I'm afraid this isn't much, but if you are in any sort of, oh, let's say, _international _trouble, I expect that this will come in very useful."

"Um, thank you.

Kiku turned and said something to her husband rapidly in Japanese. He replied to her simply in Greek and the woman nodded.

Kiku leaned towards the girls in a small voice, "May we know your names, Miss…?"

Yukiko jumped off of her dad and pointed. "That's Evangeline-san, and that's Felicita-san!"

Oh. My. Shit. Now three people knew. Aloisa is sure to rip their guts out later. But Kiku only nodded again, apparently not recognizing their names. "Thank you, Miss Evangeline and Miss Felicita. I hope we will meet again."

With one last bow, she and her family strolled out of the café, the cats immediately gathering around them from out of nowhere. Evangeline plunked her forehead down on the bar. "We. Are. Screwed."

"Tell me about it."

"We. Are. Screwed."

"I know." With that said, Felicita plopped her head down like Evangeline on the table.

* * *

_Macy's Downtown-Metro Center, 4:29…_

"…oh my, this is really cute, I think I'll take it. Miss! How much is this dress?"

Elizaveta, as it turned out, was a shopaholic. Once she saw something that was adorable, she took it. Aloisa and Mikhail were weighed down with their own bags from several designer stores, but Elizaveta had armloads of Gucci, Coach, Longchamp, Calvin Klein…Aloisa lost count after that.

"Isn't this spending too much money?" Aloisa asked as they waited for the BCBG storekeeper lady to come back. Elizaveta shrugged; her shopping bags could've filled the entire store floor.

"Roderich never really lets me spend any money when he's around, even if it's not his money. He's really cheap like that, so I better grab the chance while I got it."

"But these are all designer labels…all yours are completely well over ten thousand dollars—"

Elizaveta made a 'psh' sound. "That's little money. In fact, when I go shopping, I say to myself, 'My money is the country's money, and the country's money is mine." So there."

"But—"

"Don't worry, Nancy!" Elizaveta winked. "I got it all covered. Besides, I do make some money off of that manga editing department I work in with Kiku Honda, my most favorite-est mangaka! Heard of him?"

"I don't think I've—"

"That's only because he edits the mangas and provide each and every mangaka with ideas and suggestions, what a dear. He is an expert with the yaoi section, if you know what I mean."

Aloisa brightened. "Really?"

"Yeah, and maybe next time I can take you to meet him and we can dra—"

"I'm sorry, Miss Héderváry! There is only one left, and another person has already asked for it." The lady came back hurriedly, her face flushed and a look of horror plastered on her face.

Elizaveta frowned. "Well, where is she?"

The storekeeper stumbled over her words. "A-ah, she is with her brother over there. But I suggest you not go…"

"I've no reason not to," she declared. Elizaveta marched over to where the lady had pointed. "Come on, Nancy! I'm not giving up this dress so easily!"

"Elizaveta, but the other person had—"

"No buts! I might never see this kind of dress when I go back to Hungary. I'm not letting some silly girl—oh!" Elizaveta abruptly stopped, Aloisa bumping into her back.

"What's wrong?" Mikhail said.

Aloisa moved aside and saw a petit blond girl with a blue ribbon wearing the pink dress that Elizaveta had wanted. Her brother, who was giving them a threatening expression, immediately directed his gun (which he pulled out of his pocket) to Elizaveta until a wave of recognition washed over him.

Aloisa and Mikhail both jumped ten feet away from the man when they saw the weapon, but Elizaveta only laughed warmly and lowered the gun with one finger before greeting him happily.

"Vash, how wonderful to see you after so long! But how did you get that gun pass security? Oh, never mind, I don't need to know. And Lili!" All her former rage forgotten about the pink dress, she proceeded to compliment this Lili about it. "That dress looks beautiful on you! I was going to buy it, but now I just can't take it away after I've seen how it looks on you!"

Lili blushed and her soft green eyes looked upon Elizaveta's face eagerly. "Thank you, Miss Héderváry, it's great to see you, too! I didn't know if I looked okay in it, since Big Brother wouldn't tell me."

Vash made an embarrassed sound at the back of his throat. "I think it looks good…"

Lili's eyes shown. "Really? Then I think I will take it! Thank you, Big Brother and Miss Héderváry!"

"Aw, it's nothing. Guys, what are you doing? Come over here!"

Aloisa and Mikhail waved hesitantly at Vash from where they were standing, eyeing his right hand that was still holding the gun.

"Elizaveta, I think I need to use the restroom."

"Me, too," Mikhail added lamely.

"Oh, okay. I'll meet you back here then…"

The two of them didn't care if they seemed rude. They were _not _going to put their lives on the line getting any closer to Vash, even if Elizaveta wasn't afraid. Sure, Ivan was intimidating, but it was more in the I'm-going-to-torture-you-forever way than Vash's I'm-going-to-kill-you-now kind of thing. They dashed away madly; for all they knew, Vash could be targeting them for sport behind their backs as they ran.


	13. Chapter 13 Idle Night

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews/alerts/favs! YOU MATCH PRUSSIA'S AWESOMENESS!**

**Fail research, fail research, and more fail research were done. Anything I didn't know I totally made up. XD Any spelling/grammatical mistakes I will fix once I publish the chapter, because I can never find it when it's still on the Document Manager for some reason. oTL Translations have all been checked on five different translators, even though the English still comes out weirdly. Well, I tried.**

**WARNING: discreet before/after smut scenes between Adrian/Alec, nothing too serious. But you know it's there. Sorry, but I don't really care if they're underage; they're children of the nations, they have no age! Well, that is, until they decide to remain a human or not. So if are hating the lurrve, you can skip it. XD **

**Here you go, last part of the Idle Chapters. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

___Café Du Parc, 8:13 P.M…_

"…um…you didn't have to do this, you know…"

In spite of his words, Alec was clearly impressed with the moderately noisy and warm atmosphere as he sipped his coffee. They were lucky and had gotten a quiet table in the corner of the restaurant. Alec was all smiles, which relieved Adrian greatly.

Their waiter whisked their plates away, leaving Alec and Adrian in comfortable silence. It was dark outside, and the lamps were dimmed to a buttery yellow. Adrian thought that today had gone rather well: they went to Seaton Park and had gone the Lincoln Memorial again, went to this cute Italian café and ordered afternoon tea, and not a single time did they spot a familiar face. Everything had gone accordingly to Aloisa's master plan. Mikhail was right to suggest that they take a break; Alec was loosening up and looking as if he was truly enjoying himself.

"It's been a while since I've gone out on a date," Alec mused. "I didn't want to tell my parents about James, I'm positive they would freak. But this is nice, once in a while…"

"It's not going to be the last time," Adrian assured him, and Alec huffed good-naturedly.

At another table, not so close as the boys could see, but far enough that they were concealed behind other people, Francis twirled his wineglass between his fingers and Arthur stabbed at his meal. They were oblivious to Adrian or Alec.

"Frog," Arthur muttered without venom. "As if you didn't have enough restaurants like this in your house already. Bringing me here for dinner…"

"_Mon cher_, I thought it would be a nice change. You should learn to relax and stop being such a pain to yourself."

"I am not being a pain. Hell, if I ever relaxed around you I'd probably get raped."

"…that is a good point. And not a bad suggestion, either." Arthur groaned.

"I'm just a little worried about Evangeline and Alec. I'm not sure that I've made the right choice leaving both of them by them—"

"_Angleterre_, Evangeline is perfectly capable of looking after herself _and _Alec. I know that they will refrain from doing anything reckless, you've taught them well."

Arthur blushed madly. "Then maybe I should talk to Alec—"

"Oh, do give that phone to me." Francis reached for Arthur's cell and plucked it out of his hands.

Back at Adrian's table, the two were laughing genuinely at a joke Adrian had just made. Adrian was stopping between giggles to check if Alec was alright, and apparently he was. His smile was real and bright, his blue eyes shining with mirth.

Alec attempted to catch his breath to say something. "You know that isn't true, but I can't help it if—"

"Awwwww!" A collective round of sighs and sounds of admiration went up from around them. Two tables away, a man had knelt before a woman and had her hand in his. The corners of Adrian's mouth turned up along with the other patrons.

"_Regardez là, mon cher. _This is a familiar sight, _non_?" Francis leaned back on his seat and observed the couple with a satisfied smile. Arthur pushed Francis on the shoulder, but not very hard, as he waited to see what the man would do next.

"Cindy," the man said from his place on the ground, "We've been dating for three years now, and I truly love you. I really do." Everyone sighed again at this statement, and the woman's eyes seemed to sparkle. Alec rose from his seat, his face stony.

"Alec?" Adrian whispered, standing up and put his hand on Alec's shoulder, but Alec didn't sit down. He fixed a hard gaze at the man.

"Cindy," the man continued, now holding a little velvet box, "will you marry me?"

The crowd seemed to be holding their breath, anxiously waiting for the woman to answer.

She nervously looked around, a smile on her face, "I-I…"

It was then when Alec suddenly ran up to the man and slapped him fiercely. The woman released her grasp on the man's hand and gasped along with the whole of the restaurant.

The man was shocked into fury. "What the—" But then he saw who had smacked him. He was too surprised to even speak.

"You cheating, lying bastard!" Alec screamed. "All this time, _this entire time_, I've loved you! You were the only one I've ever loved! But you were cheating on me _every single day._"

The crowd was stunned, not daring to make a noise. Arthur was repressing a gasp and Francis's eyes were glued onto them like he was watching TV. Adrian didn't move.

"Francis, isn't that Collin? From the café?"

"Mmm…?"

The man recovered slightly, but his voice was hesitant when he spoke. "Alec…?"

Alec whirled on him. "Yes, it's _Alec, _you whore! I bet she was the reason you decided to leave me. It's not just for George Washington University, but it was because _you never loved me in the first place_."

He couldn't hold in his tears anymore and just let them run down. It was completely silent in the restaurant. Arthur's eyes were wide open and Francis rose from his seat.

"You could've told me, James…" He retreated unsteadily, Adrian rushing in to support Alec. "And then maybe then I wouldn't hate you and have wasted so much time…"

Alec stomped off towards the exit, his hand gripping Adrian's and the two of them left the restaurant. Adrian slapped a fifty dollar bill on the podium before Alec dragged him out into the night.

Cindy broke the silence. "James, did…did you go out with that man before?" The crowd's attention was diverted back to the woman and James.

James coughed into his hand. "Yes…I did. Once, in high school. But that's not important now. I'm already over him. Cindy, your answer?" He opened Cindy's palm and place the little box on it.

To his and everyone else's surprise, Cindy returned the box. Her eyes were still smiling, but it was a sad smile. "I'm sorry, James, I can't marry you."

"But…but why? Is it because of Alec—"

The woman shook her head slightly. "It has nothing to do with him. It has something to do with you." She closed his palms over the ring holder. "If I marry you, how can I ever be sure that you won't cheat on me the way you cheated with me on that Alec?"

"But you're different! Alec is a—"

"Alec is a what? A man? It doesn't matter, we both loved you equally, and maybe he loved you even more than I did. I don't know how much I mean to you now, just like Alec didn't know about you. I'm sorry, I can't accept this." Cindy stood up and left some money on the table for their waiter. "Think of this as an apology, James," she said before she breezed out the door.

James's mouth hung open as he sat on Cindy's seat. The patrons tried to ignore him and forget what had happened by beginning to talk amongst themselves again. Arthur stood next to Francis.

"Francis, give me my phone." He did so wordlessly, and Arthur dialed Evangeline's number, for he knew Alec broke his phone last week and they did not buy him a new one yet.

"Francis, you don't think that it could be…?"

"No…I don't know…it must be a different Alec…Our Alec dates ten different girls every week…"

* * *

_Room 435, 8:27 P.M…_

Evangeline was lying on her bed reading a book when her cell rang. Felicita was tapping away on her laptop. It'd been a long, boring day, and Aloisa and Mikhail were not back yet from their shopping expedition. Both were debating if they should tell Aloisa about the Yukiko encounter and the business cards and risk getting a knife in their stomach, or if they should just give those fifty dollars to her which Felicita had mysteriously found in her back pocket and stay quiet.

"Hello?" she said into the phone.

"Evangeline?"

She shot up. "Mum?"

"Yes, it is. I was just missing you guys and I wanted to see how you were doing."

Evangeline gestured wildly and mouthed 'It's my mom' at Felicita. Felicita's eyes widened in panic. "Oh, yeah, Mum, we're doing great. How's Dad?"

"He's fine. And Alec? Where is Alec right now?"

"Uh…h-he's showering." She grabbed a pot and ran into the shower, Felicita following her.

"Oh…can I hear his voice? It's really quiet here without you guys."

"O-okay! Lemme just get him, one sec…" Evangeline hurriedly turned on the shower, shoved the phone to Felicita and turned on the speakerphone. "Alec! Mum wants to talk to you!"

"Alec? Is that you?"

Evangeline dragged her voice lower a notch and yelled into the pot, the water splattering on her clothes and flattening her hair. "_Salut Maman! __Je suis dans le bain. Evangeline qui me dérange!_ _Mais vous me manquez!_"

The pot echoed her voice and the shower distorted it further. Her voice barely resembled her brother's, but the connection must've been pretty bad, because her mom sounded convinced.

"I miss you too, Alec! Well, I was just making sure. Don't make your sister angry, okay? I'm going to go—"

"Yeah, okay, bye Mum! Give Dad my love!" She snapped her cell phone shut and stepped out sopping wet. She groaned. "Alec _so _owes me one now."

Felicita pushed Evangeline back in. "Eh, I'll get your clothes and towel. You can shower first."

* * *

_Room 434, 9:01 P.M…_

It was an eventful ride back home. Adrian had somehow hailed a taxi and stuffed a woozy and sniveling Alec in. When they'd finally arrived at the Ritz-Carlton Adrian had to princess carry Alec, who'd fallen asleep. He ignored the lobby guests that were whispering as he passed by. When he'd closed the door behind him, Alec hopped off of Adrian's arms and immediately ran to restroom to splash water on his face and hair.

When he finished, his eyes were no longer puffy and his nose wasn't red, but he looked miserable as he walked over to the French window at the other side of the room. His dye had washed off, so the front part of his hair was wet and plastered to his forehead. The view was amazing: the lights of the buildings lit up the night and the city glowed faintly, but unfortunately their share of views was also overlooking George Washington University.

Alec gazed out the window. "I'm sorry, Adrian," he murmured. "I thought I had given up a long time ago, but it seems that I didn't. But now I know for sure that I don't love him anymore. I _can't_ love him anymore, rather."

Adrian stood a few feet away from Alec, unsure of what to do. One small mistake and he was certain that Alec would crumble into pieces.

Alec's mind flashed back to several past dates, all of them different girls in different restaurants. He was talking rapidly to them about something that happened at school, but out of the corner of his eyes, he could see that these girls were sighing and resting their head on their hands. They didn't like him for who he was; they wanted him for his last name, his background, his looks.

Alec laughed humorlessly. "We were an item at my old school. People always said we fit each other. I should've known that he never loved me in the first place. So it's sort of my fault for getting like that back there. But then again," he paused, blanking staring out of the window as if there was something fascinating in the dark, "I'm not sure if anybody whom I've gone out with really knew me. I don't think anybody loved me for _me_."

"I love you, Alec."

He could see Alec's back stiffen in astonishment, but it faded away as quickly as it had come. Alec pivoted on his heel to face him, an empty smile adorning his features, "You know you're just saying that—"

Adrian had no idea what he was about to do. But he felt like something was pulling him and controlling his steps. He strode smoothly over to the other side of the room, wrapped his arms around the blond, and deftly kissed Alec Bonnefoy.

Alec's eyes widened as he squirmed weakly as an attempt to release Adrian's hold, but the latter embraced him a little harder and Alec gave in. He could tell this was real. It wasn't like at the park, where Adrian had forced himself onto him. It wasn't like Ethan Cole's desperate kiss, frantic and erratic. It was nothing like James Stanton's kiss, where the other stood as stiffly as a block of wood.

Alec willingly leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Adrian, his eyes closing. By now, Adrian was completely relying on instinct and the timing of the moment, but soon his moments grew natural and he knew what to do. He knew he wanted more than a kiss, and God, he was going to get it.

Still kissing Alec, Adrian lifted Alec up (earning a muffled 'mmph!' from the blond) and carefully laid him on the bed. He quickly unzipped his jacket and threw it to a corner. Alec knew exactly what he was going to do now, but he didn't stop him. Instead, he pushed Adrian's face away from his momentarily and asked him a question. He needed to know.

"Do you love me?"

There was no doubt in his answer now. "Yes," Adrian breathed. "I love you now, and I will love you forever."

Alec smirked, watching Adrian's fingers unbutton his shirt. "Learned that one from your dad again, _non_?"

* * *

_Room 435, 10:14 P.M…_

"Dear God, where have you been? I thought you got hit by a car or mugged or raped!"

Evangeline crossed her arms and slightly glared at Aloisa and Mikhail, who were carrying armloads (and by armloads it was really more like mountains) of shopping bags. Elizaveta had finally let them go when Bloomingdales closed and the manager himself had to usher them out. Elizaveta had bought enough clothes and shoes to fill their park; it was a wonder how they squeezed her in the taxi. The two were completely exhausted. Elizaveta seemed as if she had a boundless amount of energy, always jumping from this store to that store, picking something up along the way.

"Oh, yes," Mikhail mutterd. "We got raped."

"_What_?"

"Shopping raped," Aloisa corrected, "by Elizaveta. We were pulled to every store in every mall, and she ended up spending over thirty thousand dollars on clothes."

"And what about you guys?" Felicita asked curiously. "How much did you spend?"

"We didn't spend anything," Aloisa said tiredly. "We used a hacker credit card Mikhail had made. It transferred all of our costs directly back into their system and wasted _their _money."

"So…basically you guys stole these."

"Not exactly. You have to get caught for it to count as stealing."

Aloisa and Mikhail flopped onto their mattress. "I'm so tired…" Aloisa moaned.

"Uh, but we have something to tell you." Felicita and Evangeline shivered. It was now or never.

Aloisa waved it off. "I'm sure it can wait. God, I think I'll take a bath in the morning, I'm too tired…Dibs on the shower tomorrow, by the way."

"I second dib that," Mikhail rumbled, his voice muffled by the pillow.

Then they were quiet, the even rising and falling of their bodies suggested that they were deep asleep. Evangeline glanced at Felicita, and the two of them eagerly dove for the shopping bags.

* * *

_Room 434, 10:43 P.M…_

Alec was sitting on the bed, wearing only Adrian's oversized t-shirt and his underwear. Adrian had fallen asleep ten minutes ago and was now holding Alec's waist as he snored on. Alec put his hand to his forehead. God, that was one hell of a romp, not that he's had anyone before Adrian. The thick comforter surrounded their bodies and Alec felt really, really warm inside, with Adrian next to him and all.

He hoped he wasn't _that _loud as to let their neighbors hear, specifically Aloisa and the gang next door. But he didn't think he was trying to be quiet either; more like he was grabbing at Adrian's back and wrapping his legs around his waist. Oh well. It's not like they lived here.

And Adrian had gone crazy after that, though Alec didn't mind it at all. Not one bit. Adrian had muttered some pretty strange things in Russian during that, but it only added to the moment. In fact, he felt like he loved Adrian even more, now that he was sure this time was not one-sided.

Sleepily, he nestled himself into Adrian's arms and closed his eyes. He pondered on what his parents would say about Adrian, then shook his head slowly. His mom would be upset, he imagined. But his dad had a male lover, so there was nothing they could say. Tomorrow was the meeting, and he was sure Aloisa would want everything to be executed perfectly. Alec wondered if their day had been as good as his. He would not know this, but in the room next door, Evangeline and Felicita would be trying on new clothes till midnight.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWS AND SO I GIVE YOU ALL MY LOVE! Adrian and Alec and me mega loves you, no joke!**

**Request of a reviewer: Okay, so he/she wanted me to put the translations of really foreign-ish words in the notes. I think they are pretty simple ones though, but here goes—**

Äiti [Finnish] –Mom  
Isä [Finnish] –Dad  
Pappa [Swedish] –Dad  
...and I think that's all the non-english words for this chapter. You can sort of guess the other ones, right? XD Thanks for the review and suggestion! I'll try to put translations for these in later chapter!

**Slight research…okay, I'm lying here. Not a lot of research was done. Once again, I assumed and guessed. Too tired. oTL All sp/grammar will be fixed once the chapter is published so that I can actually see the mistakes. Yeah, I'm blind when editing on Document Manager.**

**By the way, I made a poll (it's on my profile!) to see which character you like the best in Connecting the Dots, which I will use for further reference in later chapters. You can pick two! :3**

**Okay, here you go, chapter 14!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

_Room 434, 8:02 A.M…_

Adrian was woken up by the continuous ringing of their hotel phone. He groaned as he slowly sat upright; whatever happened last night was sort of fuzzy to him, but he had the feeling that it was one _good_ night. He turned his head to Alec, who was waking up groggily next to him, and the whole thing came rushing back with a bam, like he was watching those 3-D TVs.

"Good morning, Alec." He brushed his lips on Alec's forehead.

Alec rubbed his eyes, his hazy mind not yet registering Adrian's sudden affections. "Would you get that?"

Adrian lazily pressed the speakerphone button and Aloisa's voice burst through the receiver. "Good morning, Mr. and Mr. Bitt! Today is the big, big day! Come over right _now_ for breakfast 'cause we need to discuss the plan over with everyone. I'm expecting everything to go smoothly so that we can leave before our parents discover that we were gone! Seriously, I've been calling you guys for five minutes now…"

Adrian smiled crookedly. "Yeah, we've been busy." Alec laughed nervously; Aloisa would go insane if she knew what they were doing last night.

Adrian disconnected the phone and moved towards Alec. Alec leaned back onto his pillow, trying to get away from Adrian, his face flushed and feeling very panicked for reasons unknown. "Adrian, I ran out of dye again."

"Then we'll just have to hide your pretty face in that fedora of yours, won't we?"

"I'm serious, Adrian."

"So am I."

"Okay, please kindly get off of me, I want to shower."

"Why?"

"Because I smell like sex, that's why." He bit his lip and blushed harder. He can't believe he actually said that. What was wrong with him? Why was he so flustered?

Adrian shrugged, as if that did not matter. "So?"

Alec jumped off the bed and scurried to the restroom before Adrian could latch onto him. His back felt a little sore as he hopped across the room clumsily. Adrian could be really corny, but he wasn't complaining. It's just that he had no idea why he was so jittery when around him now.

* * *

_Hallway outside of Room 434 and 435, a few doors down…_

Alfred stretched his arms and readjusted his glasses. Arthur had called him at seven-thirty in the morning and made him get all his meeting materials in order and it freaking took him a whole hour. He knocked on Francis and Arthur's room, his mind still blurred and his eyes threatening to close again. Ivan was probably still in bed snoring up a storm, the lucky bastard. He rested his head on the door, just for a moment, he told himself. Alfred nearly dozed off when the door opened and his forehead bonked into something fleshy.

"AHH!" He stared horrified at Francis, who'd answered the door. He was wearing only a towel around his waist, and the fleshy something Alfred had bumped into was Francis's chest. He backed up against the opposite wall, his finger pointing accusingly at the Frenchman. "You're naked!"

Francis exhaled and slowly responded to Alfred like he was retarded. "_Mon cher_, I am not naked. I am half-naked." The Towel was dangerously starting to slip off.

"Iggy! Go tell your husband to put on some pants!" Alfred yelled into the room the moment The Towel hit to the carpeted floor with a dainty thump. Alfred turned away before his eyes started to bleed. "Oh dear God, that's disgusting."

"Oh, and I assume Russia is much better than _moi—_"

"I'm here, sorry I'm late Alf—AGGHH! Francis, go put on something!"

"That's what I said!"

"Put on what, _cher_?"

"Anything!" Arthur hurriedly shoved the blond inside before anyone saw Francis in all his glory (which was not very glorified at all) and slammed the door shut.

Alfred breathed in relief and composed himself. "Okay, here is what I have. We go to the meeting dressed in our old uniforms—"

"Why?"

"Because I want to." Arthur didn't reply, so Alfred continued.

"Okay, then everyone will talk about what's happened in our lives in the last few years of our 'sordid' isolation—"

"Oh, yeah? I bet you were having fun with Russia and your evil offspring."

"Offsprings."

"Excuse me?"

"I have two."

"Two what?"

"Two kids. Like you. Geez, and you say I'm the slow one."

Arthur stared at Alfred, half-horrified, half-amused. "_Two_? So you _were_ messing around with Russia all this time!"

"Like you weren't doing anything with Francis! Two minutes ago you were probably blowing his—"

"Okay! Okay! But I wasn't doing whatever you were going to suggest. I get it. You have two kids."

Alfred furrowed his eyebrows. "Yeah. Fraternal twins. Mikhail and Adrian, but Mikhail came first by like 5 seconds. Anyways, back to the meeting. So we tell about all our adventures and misadventures living like our citizens, and I bet a lot of things have changed, I know that Kiku's got a daughter now. Some nations are bringing their kids too, since they were too young to be left at home…And then we introduce our kids and their names and ages, and then…yeah."

Arthur raised one thick eyebrow. "Yes?"

"…"

"Do you mean to say that _that _was all you got?"

"Hey, it's a hassle thinking of these things, not as easy as it sounds."

"I could've thought up that load of crap in five minutes! What happens then? Do we just go on home and say, 'Hello, kids! I just wanted to tell you that Mommy is a guy and I actually gave birth to you and I'm the personification of a nation and I'm hundreds slash thousands of years old!'—"

"Oh, well excuse _me _for not being a genius." Alfred put both hands on his waist, then lamely deciding against it. It felt a little gay to do that when he wasn't in his girl mode.

"W-what? This is not a matter of being smart or not! You are just overly idiotic! And what—" Arthur looked down the hallway to the open door of Room 434, where Alec was stepping out, his back facing Alfred and Arthur. "—who is that?"

Alfred squinted at Alec. "I don't know. Am I supposed to know, smarty-pants?"

Arthur sputtered. "N-no, but that looks exactly like my son! It looks like Alec!"

Alfred snickered. "Your eyesight is going, Iggy. Why would your Alec be in here in D.C.?"

Arthur concentrated on the back of Alec's head, his mind trying to figure out the truth. "Well, I did talk to him on the phone yesterday…"

"See?"

"But—"

"Poor Iggy, he's already forgotten what his own kids look like. What was your little girl's name? Oh, yeah, Evangeline. Even I remembered."

Alfred smirked at Arthur triumphantly. "I can describe what my kids look like, unlike you. Mikhail looks like Ivan, which is a little freaky, and Adrian looks like me with silver hair and no glasses. Hey, in fact, he looks like that guy with black hair over…there…"

Alfred's sentence slowed to a halt as Adrian stepped out, his wig in place. He stole a kiss from Alec, who smacked him on the arm gently, his red scowling face blocked by Adrian's head as he leaned in for another one. Alfred and Arthur watched as Adrian plopped a fedora on the blond's head, completely concealing his face from them now. The walked into the room next door; Adrian's arm wrapped around Alec's shoulders which totally obscured the nations' line of sight.

"Did…did you see that?"

"...not really. I saw two guys kissing. What did you see?"

"No, I didn't mean _that_! How can you not see it? Has your brain really been replaced with sandwiches or—"

"Hey, don't diss McDonalds, they're awesome and you know it."

Arthur glared at him and Alfred got back to his point. "Okay, okay, _no_, I don't think those are our kids. It's impossible. They don't even know each other. Hell, they're a couple and they looked like adults. They were kissing their tongues out. Probably on a trip or honeymoon or…I don't know, god, Arthur."

"…I guess you're right…" A short moment of silence followed; Alfred saw his chance.

"Here you go, Iggy!" Alfred pushed a bundle of papers into Arthur's hand, who was too surprised to refuse them. "You can plan the rest of the meeting, since you seem to know exactly what to do! I'm going back to bed with Ivan."

Arthur flared up, rapidly forgetting what they'd just witnessed. "Oh no, you don't! Get back here, git! This is your meeting in your house planned by you—stop running!"

* * *

_Room 435, 8:21 A.M…_

"What the hell?"

Evangeline crossed her arms as Aloisa studied the business cards. "I told you. I'm sure Kiku Honda is a girl. I met the lady and her daughter and husband in the café."

"And what did she say?"

"She said we should use them if we were in trouble. Like, um, international trouble, I think."

Mikhail raised an eyebrow from where he was standing in the kitchen, pouring himself another mug of coffee. "'International trouble?'"

"But Elizaveta said that she knew Kiku Honda, and he was a really important mangaka in Japan."

Felicita shrugged. "Then we don't know." Aloisa sighed and pocketed the two cards.

"Oh well, I'll just keep them. Might come in handy for us later." She waved Mikhail over, flapping her hand. "Come here, Mr. Harlen. Show them the White House tour schedule again."

Instead, Mikhail produced a piece of binder paper from his jean pocket with a list written on it. "I do not think we should risk going back to that government website. It is loaded with tracking cookies and it blocked me from entering three times. Here, I wrote the schedule down."

Adrian laughed, and Mikhail shot his brother a look. But no, he wasn't laughing at him. Mikhail had never seen his brother so happy before. Alec Bonnefoy was sitting on his lap and his arms encircled Adrian's neck; he looked all smiley too, if not a little nervous. Mikhail caught Adrian giving a look to Alec that resembled the slow smiles his папа sometimes gave his мама. Aloisa noticed, but she only thought that they'd made up with each other and that their game was still going on.

She thanked Mikhail and winked at the boys. "So…Adrian and Alec, what makes you so chummy today?"

Alec answered quickly, in case Adrian decided to say something random. "We decided to make up and we had a fun time yesterday."

Adrian looked slightly amused. "Oh yeah. Very fun time."

Aloisa wasn't giving up. "Hahahaha, no, seriously, what did you guys do yesterday? If we were still in California you would be tearing each other apart."

"Oh, but we did."

"What?"

"We were tearing each other apart last night."

Alec blushed heavier and flicked Adrian's forehead. "Adrian!"

Felicita cocked her head to one side. "Oh yeah, I think I heard someone screaming and moaning on the other side of the room, I think it was your room. Did you or Alec get hurt? You guys were really loud."

Poor Felicita and her innocence. Even Mikhail understood exactly what had happened the night before. Aloisa was keeping her squeals down to a minimum, and Evangeline fixed Adrian with a fierce glare as if he was the next James Stanton.

She seethed at him, "So that was what we heard last night. Let me tell you, if you ever make Alec unhappy, I will—"

"Don't worry, Evangeline. I will love your brother until the sun burns out. And I'm so serious that that wasn't even funny."

Evangeline was surprised. She'd never heard Adrian talk in anything but sarcasm. Aloisa cleared her throat for the sake of Felicita and Mikhail, who was trying not to gag.

"Okay, guys. We are going to join the White House tour group at 11 o' clock. Then we maneuver our way inside the White House with this handy GPS that Mikhail brought along. Good god, Mikhail. You should be starting your own company with this thing…Anyways, is that clear? Good. We're going to head out right now."

"I'm going to call a cab." Evangeline grabbed the phone before Aloisa made them walk all the way to Seaton Park again.

* * *

_White House lawn, with Tour Group B12, 11:15 A.M…_

They were a little bit late, because Aloisa had started to argue with the cabbie about the fare and later actually began to sock him. Mikhail didn't understand why she did that. They could've just used their hacker credit card, which they did when Adrian dragged Aloisa out and far away from the road.

When they arrived in their assigned group, the tour guide flashed a plastic smile at the late arrivals, giving the impression that she 'really wanted to be anywhere away from this dead end job.' She led the group into the White House, chattering like a super high hippie on three different drugs at a time.

In the group were also four children (two boys, two girls) traveling without parents or a guardian. They seemed to be together as they huddled against each other and whispered amongst themselves. One was a boy in a sailor suit with somewhat thick eyebrows like Alec's. The three other kids seemed to regard him as their leader and nodded to his every word. They were all blond and had sweet, angelic faces.

A cute girl in a pink ruffled party dress held a snow-white puppy in her arms as she followed Sailor Suit Boy. There was another girl in a green ribbon dress with more polka-dotted ribbons tied into her pigtails. She whispered into the first girl's ear and giggled quietly. The other boy wore a dark blue shirt and a sailor hat like Sailor Suit Boy; there was a little floating curl with a dot (how that was even possible, no one questioned) protruding from under his hat. His blue eyes were void of any emotion as he raptly listened to Sailor Suit Boy talk.

The touring families assumed that they were kids from modeling agencies. Some even started to talk to them and spied their surroundings for photographers, hoping to sneak themselves into a shot. Felicita and Evangeline thought that these kids looked a whole lot similar to Yukiko. Like…old ladies and old men in the bodies of 2nd graders and with faces like magazine stars.

The tour guide led them into the White House and said something or the other about historical significance about the carpet. _What, did George Washington puke here before? _Adrian thought. He whispered that quickly to Alec, who giggled silently. The kids were moving away from the group now, inching away from the guide and discreetly separating themselves from nosy model-wannabes.

The tour guide droned on, not caring if anyone was listening. She might as well have been a robot. "This oil painting was done by—"

"Hanna!"

A man with really light blond hair strode in quickly with another man at his side. The shorter one had on a light blue military uniform from who knows how long ago, and on his head was a small, white beret of a sort. The other man was even more intimidating than Ivan, though it seemed like they were the same height. He wasn't even trying to be scary; his face just had that aura around him to ward off people who dared to approach. His dark blue overcoat was worn over his black shirt, making him appear even taller though he already towered over his partner by a great deal.

The girl holding the puppy launched herself into the shorter man's arms, shouting, "Äiti!" Hanna glanced over at the glowering man and crashed-hugged him too, despite the man's fearsome expression. "Pappa!"

The man lifted Hanna up, and the kids stiffened. The angry man was going to swallow Hanna and the puppy! But he did no such thing and instead lifted her on onto his right shoulder. The puppy adjusted itself into a comfortable position on the man's left shoulder and closed its eyes. It looked exactly like a stuffed animal.

The shorter man pouted. "Really, Hanna. Your Isä and I were looking everywhere for you. And you even took Hanatamago! By the way, have you seen Uncle Mathias's kids? They seemed to have left him somewhere on the front lawn."

Hanna pointed. "They're right there, Äiti! I was talking with them! They said Uncle Mathias was playing hide-and-seek with them."

The man's gaze shifted to where the girl was pointing, and he exhaled in exasperation. "That guy…" His gaze shifted the Sailor Suit Boy and he bristled slightly. "Peter! What are you doing?"

"Talking with Annelise and Eirik, Mama!"

The scary man muttered unintelligibly to Peter, "L't's'en to yo'r M'ma, P't'r." Peter sighed and walked towards the man.

"Anne and Eirik, let's go before your Mother kills your Father."

The green skirt girl and the weird floating curl boy quickly followed the men down the hallway, Peter still lagging behind. Before he ran off, Aloisa grabbed the neck of his sailor suit and asked him where he was going.

"To the meeting, of course! Someday, Su-Papa and Fin-Mama will definitely let me participate in one. But for now I will have to wait."

With that said, Peter wriggled away and hurried behind his 'parents.' The guide was still talking about some oil painting, apparently having effectively tuning out all miscellaneous sounds and sights with many years of monotonous tour practice.

Taking this as a great opportunity, Aloisa and the rest snuck out of the tour group and followed the path Peter had taken. Mikhail whipped out his tracking GPS and led everyone across hallways and through random doors.

At last they came to a large mahogany doorway. The doors were not completely closed, leaving a thin crack. They could hear arguing inside and the commanding voice of Aloisa's dad shouting at everyone to be quiet.

"So what do we do now?" Aloisa whispered. They couldn't see anything through the gap of the doors.

Mikhail shrugged. "We listen and pray that they do not come out."

And so they sat on the ground, their backs leaning on the wall next to the doorway, listening for clues that would indicate their parent's real identity while trying to discern the point of this mysterious meeting. They waited for ten minutes without luck, and Alec actually fell asleep on Adrian's shoulder.

Evangeline snorted as Aloisa scooted towards the door and gently pressed her ear against the frame. "What do you hear?"

"I hear my Vati talking. And Alfred."

"What are they saying?"

"Uh…global warming and something about superheroes…pasta…erm, Flying Mint Bunny…oh, I hear Felicita's dad!"

Evangeline's face felt warm when she heard the mention of Flying Mint Bunny. That was one of her Mother's many 'imaginary' ("They are a mystical and magical race and should be treated carefully! Watch out, you almost sat on him!") friends. She sighed; maybe their parents really were just regular people, just really quirky. She could tell that everyone else was tired of the entire trip by now. Felicita was slouching as she stared at the opposing wall, and Mikhail and Adrian were twiddling on their phone with Alec still using Adrian as a headrest.

Aloisa was about to tell everyone to get up and leave until a piercing and obnoxious and _familiar _voice cut her off suddenly.

"Hey, bitch! So this is where you've been hiding!"

Aloisa and Felicita slowly looked up, hoping that it was not who they thought it was. Alec was jolted awake, much to his displeasure. He was still sleepy from yesterday night, and all he wanted to do was to crash on a sofa or something.

Unfortunately, as the six teens gazed upwards, they looked directly into the hate-filled face of Angelina Allred.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews/favs/alerts! :O 100 reviews…? How…w-when did it get to that? Why did it get to that? BECAUSE YOU GUYS ARE THE BESTEST EVER! Thank you too too too too too much for sticking with this story! I swear I could have never made it here without your support! **

**This is Chapter 15…and that's all I have to say about that. 83 This is the longest chapter I have ever wrote. Wow. x3 **

**Document Manager made the chapter look all weird. I took a long time editing. XD The same gist goes as before: all grammer/sp will be corrected once it is published, 'cause I am blind on Document Manager.**

**By the way, I didn't want to have Ludwig wear the WWII officer uniform the meeting, since I thought that felt kind of awkward. So I gave him a ****Schutzpolizei uniform, which is basically the current police force in Germany, if I am not mistaken. (Eh, they were active in WWII also and killed a bunch of people, but let's skip that for now…I apologize…but I really can't find any not relating to WWII D:) You can see the picture on Wiki, but I'm imagining it to be more tight-fitting and sexy with his awesome knee-high boots. **

**Did you guys vote on my profile poll for this story yet? It's still ongoing! **

Моя любовь [Russian]—my love  
Товарищ [Russian]—comrade  
Я всегда рядом [Russian]—I'm always next to you.  
Доверься мне [Russian]—Trust me.  
Réveiller [French]—Wake up  
S'il vous plaît reveille [French]—Please wake up  
Il ne se réveille pas…S'il vous plaît aidez-moi! [French]—He won't wake up…Please help me!  
Que dois-je faire? Est-ce qu'il va mourir? [French]—What do I do? Is he going to die?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

_Outside the Meeting Room, 11:30 A.M…_

"…I cannot believe you actually had the nerve to walk straight into my Daddy's workplace. Are you guys stupid, or just plain _stupid_? And what is with that lame getup?"

Alec thought that she was being idiotic saying sentences in that high, prissy voice. Aloisa restrained herself so that they wouldn't be discovered, but Angelina was really shouting her lungs out, that crazy imbecile. She tried to snatch the wig off of Aloisa's head, but Aloisa avoided the grab.

"What, are you surprised to see me in D.C.?" Angelina shrill laugh pieced the air, and everyone cringed. She took that as a sign of fear, not as a note of secrecy. "I told you, remember, blockhead?" she addressed Aloisa, and Mikhail was about to fly onto her face and claw her damn eyes out if Adrian had not stepped on his toes to stop him.

Aloisa stood up, the others following her. "Can't you stay quiet for one minute?" she hissed, desperately craning her neck to see if they door was going to open.

Angelina slapped Aloisa abruptly; Aloisa was so concentrated on the door she didn't notice the hand preparing to attack. Angelina smiled in satisfaction, happy that she finally got a shot in. "Don't you tell your better what to do!"

Mikhail stood a stiffly as a tree. He needed to rip out that chick's heart so bad it wasn't even funny. He steadied himself for the sake of Aloisa, and also he didn't want to cause a commotion right outside. Felicita and Evangeline observed Aloisa carefully with wide eyes, unsure of what to do. Should they run? Or stand up to her?

"You are not my better," Aloisa growled in a low voice. Angelina only waved her hand.

"Of course I am. I have more money, more clothes, I'm way more popular, and I have a prettier face. If you wanted to change your outlook, that dumb wig is not helping. Your parents must be disfigured to have a kid like you."

Felicita wanted to punch her lights out for saying that about Aloisa's model parents, but she didn't dare to. She felt completely useless; she was standing here and letting Angelina degrade her friend verbally, and she couldn't do a thing to help it like how Aloisa had saved her last time. She squeezed Aloisa's finger slightly to alert her, but Aloisa only gave her a look that meant 'stay quiet.'

Alec glared at the girl; she thought Aloisa was bad looking? Aloisa was at least twenty times better than her in personality and features. _Angelina is dressed like a chain-smoking prostitute out of business_, he thought.

But even if every human in the world was quiet, Angelina would still be shrieking. A moment later, quick footsteps were heard down the hall. There a man's stern face popped out. He had graying hair that was combed back neatly, and his suit was pressed in a crisp, clean way. Angelina hugged the man happily, still smirking at the group.

"Daddy!" she cried. "These are the people I was telling you about! I hate them!"

The man fixed his severe gaze at them. "Are you the ones that hurt my daughter?"

Felicita and Evangeline wanted to burst out a 'No!' but Aloisa was the one in charge. She answered in a calm, composed tone, "Yes, sir. But it was only because she dumped water on my friend."

Angelina yelled, "She's lying, she's lying! She hit me and she almost killed me!"

That did it. With that said, Angelina's father smashed his palms into the wall next to Aloisa's head, narrowly missing her by an inch. Aloisa was not daunted, and if she was she didn't show it.

Angelina's father leaned close to her. "Do you know what I could do to you for hurting my daughter? Do you know who I am?"

Aloisa breathed, "No, sir." Her mind was racing: should they run? They were seriously getting too loud.

"I'll tell you who I am. I the single most influential man that has ever governed the whole of California's school districts, and I am here as a representative. And what do I find? You, who's in one of _my _school districts and behaving like this towards my daughter, even daring to lie about her." His voice got louder and colder. The five other teens didn't move, waiting for a signal from Aloisa or at least _something._Aloisa was standing like a brick and her face was clean as a slate.

"Is that so, sir," she coolly replied. Angeline tapped her foot impatiently in the back.

"I can get you removed from this school, and I can make sure that every other school in California will reject you as a student. I have to power destroy your life the way you almost destroyed my daughter's life."

Felicita wanted to pop in a comment: it was Aloisa who'd always let Angelina go in the end, and Angelina was always far from dying in each of these brawls. _She must be a very good storyteller, or maybe her dad was just way too gullible. _

"I understand, sir." Angelina's dad, now really pissed that Aloisa was unfazed by his threats, slammed the wall again. This resulted in a slight cringe of worry from Aloisa, but he caught it and misinterpreted it the way his daughter had.

He smirked. "I think that's what I will do. I will go to my office and remove all of you from every school in California. Each and every one of you will remain an outcast for life." He folded his arms, pleased at his decision and how happy he'd just made Angelina.

Angelina apparently thought this moment deserved an earsplitting cackle. "That's right, bitches!" she screeched. "That's what you get! You really are losers! I am better than you and now you'll know it forever! You've just been moved from loser to nothing—"

The great big mahogany door hurled open. The only thought in Aloisa and the teens' mind was, _Oh, shit._ Angelina and her dad looked annoyed at the interruption.

Angeline squealed and screamed at the door, "What the hell do you losers think you are—"

She was muffled by the head of a rifle stuffed in her mouth. Her eyes widened in panic, and her dad shouted her name. He, too, was silenced by a handheld gun directed at his chest.

And who other could be holding the gun than Vash, looking proud and ten times more dangerous (if that was possible) in his military uniform. He sized the two up and his glare drifted to Aloisa.

"You two," he snarled to Aloisa and Mikhail. "I knew you were no good. You all must be spies. Get in here before I blow your friends' brains out!"

Evangeline wanted to say_, Go ahead! Blow their brains out! We'd love to see that. _But Aloisa seemed to have the decency of not killing people, even if they were people who'd threatened her just a few seconds ago.

They shuffled towards the door and into the room after Angelina and her dad, whom Vash had pushed in gruffly. Alec gripped Adrian's hand fearfully. Adrian untangled Alec's hand from his and instead wrapped his arm around his shoulder as reassurance for both of them.

* * *

_Inside the Meeting Room, 11:35 A.M…_

"…and that's what I have on global warming. So? What do you guys think?"

Francis was too busy checking out his reflection on the back of his phone. Arthur snorted. Some things never change. Alfred was a big, fat idiot, and now he's a married big, fat idiot with two kids. Ivan rested his hand on Alfred's wrist. "Моя любовь, Maybe you move on to the main topic, da? We've been discussing this for over ten minutes."

"Aw, okay, but I thought it was a pretty good idea. And plus Kiku and Greece and Hungary aren't here yet, so I thought we could wait a little bit before continuing on that."

Arthur's fingers drummed the table. It was really familiar, watching Alfred blab about nonsense in his bomber jacket and that confident smile. All the nations were in their old uniforms, and Arthur thought they looked like cosplayers for a historical reenactment.

God, everyone who was here even acted the same. Norway was pulling on Denmark's hair with a neutral expression; a cheeky little girl was on his lap and a boy with a sailor hat was trying to rock climb Denmark's face. Arthur guessed that they were Annelise and Eirik. He sighed. Evangeline and Alec were little like that too about a couple years back. The lifespan of humans were really so short, but if they were to become like them, not necessarily a new nation, but maybe representing a city or a territory…

"Shut up! I said eight minutes each person! America, you have gone over the time limit by two minutes! Spain, wake up!" Ludwig pointed at the sleeping nation, who was leaning far back into his armchair. Francis whistled at Gilbert, who was downing glass after glass of beer while Matthew watched with a helpless smile. "_Mein Gott, bruder, _put that glass down! You've had enough!"

"West, I think someone needs to pull that stick out of your ass! Kesesesesesese!" He gulped down another round and shouted at no in particular, "More!"

"Beer was invented in Korea! Ow! That hurts, Mei!"

It was faint, but Arthur thought that he heard a girl shriek outside the meeting room. It was too noisy inside to determine that right now. _If it's Miss Fairy playing tricks on me again, I am _not_ talking to them for a whole week._

Feliciano pulled on Ludwig's green sleeve. "Ve, I'm kind of hungry. I want pasta~"

"I know that, Feli. This is the third time you've mentioned it. Just hold on for another fifteen minutes until it's lunc—"

Romano stood up, his chair creaking as he pushed it back. "I'll go for the tomato bastard, potato. What I think is that we need to get to the topic of our children and actually figure—HEY, I'm talking here!" He shouted at the door, but he was drowned out by a girl's annoying scream. "I want someone to make whoever is outside to _shut the hell up_!"

"Maybe it's one of our bosses," Tino suggested, his husband nodding in agreement.

Hanna and Peter were sitting on a little table just for them, doodling with markers. Yao and Mei fluttered over the girl, cooing at how precious Sweden and Finland's daughter was. Mei fastened one of her plum blossom clips onto the girl's curly golden locks and Yao drew pandas all over the corners of her paper, waiting for the late arrivals and trying to avoid Korea at the same time.

"I don't think so…this room is secluded from the rest of the rooms," Arthur said. Now he heard someone hitting the wall and a man's angry yell, and so did every other nation inside the room. They immediately quieted down, even Gilbert (but that was only because he finally passed out after twenty five and a half mugs of beer).

"_Mon cher_, do you think it is a spy?" Arthur glanced at Francis worriedly. They weren't in a war or anything, so they haven't had a spy in years.

"No," Arthur said sourly. "I don't think so. Maybe it's just some nosy media trying to find out who we are."

There it was again. That damn girlish laugh. Vash grabbed his ever-present rifle and a gun concealed inside his coat and marched towards the door. He kicked it open, nearly knocking off the hinges ("Hey, watch those doors! They're antiques!"). He surveyed the scene. There was no one in sight, until a blond girl wearing shorts and a very revealing top stepped in.

"What the hell do you losers think you are—" Target, or rather, targets, sighted. He stuffed the head of his rifle inside the skinny girl's mouth to shut her up and pointed his gun at the middle-aged man. That was when he saw Aloisa, Elizaveta's shopping buddy that she hasn't shut up about ever since.

"You two," he snapped. "I knew you were no good. You all must be spies. Get in here before I blow your friends' brains out!"

He pushed the man and the girl in first. They tumbled to the ground before picking themselves up hesitantly. Aloisa's group followed after them obediently. He recognized Mikhail and Aloisa, but there were four other kids he hadn't seen before, all dressed like bratty rich kids.

He noticed that the two boys at the back were huddling, the taller of the two wrapping his arms around one with the fedora. Vash didn't know what spies would do that. They acted like teens after being caught having sex by their parents. That last thought was so weird he quickly pushed it out and yelled at them to get in.

* * *

_Inside the Meeting Room, 11:41 A.M…_

The first thing that registered into the teens' minds was the enormous size of the room. It was furnished with a long, circular table and giant French doors let in sunlight front both sides of the room. Around the table were men and women that looked a bit older than teenagers, possibly twenty or so; some were filing papers, others were drinking coffee and such, the rest were wandering around, playing with the little kids who appeared no older than ten. Then they saw the grown-ups' outfits.

Their clothing seemed to be from a different era, or at least fifty years ago. Some were dressed in military uniforms from all over the world, and that included Vash, who was prodding Angelina's dad with his rifle and urging them to walk forward. They were all quiet. Aloisa could hear their footsteps pattering along, and millions of eyes glued on them.

That was when Ludwig rose, clad in his Schutzpolizei uniform, a sharp frown on his face. Aloisa froze when her Vati scanned their group, his gaze seeming to linger a little longer on Felicita and herself. Alfred and Ivan stood up, somewhat alarmed. They were the people on the plane, and the possibility that they were spies was getting likelier and likelier.

"Your names," Ludwig commanded icily. "Tell us your names."

Aloisa nodded to the group and talked for everyone. "My name is Nancy Harlen, this is my husband and my two daughters and friends. We were following the tour guide when we'd gotten lost." Alfred huffed disbelieving.

"That's a lie," he declared. "Even the tour guide doesn't know about this place. It's private and only for us." Adrian and Mikhail winced at the sound of his dad's lover. "Who are you really?"

"We are who we've told you we are," Aloisa said simply. It was hard to keep from twitching so badly. Angelina was being annoying and making these pesky noises for her to announce them too. Ludwig's scowl deepened. He reached into his coat and pulled out a gun, which he directed at Aloisa.

"That's a lie," he snarled. "Do you know who we are?" The man in the blue military uniform put a steady hand on Ludwig's shoulders, he, too, standing up.

"Ludwig…" he said softly. Aloisa and Felicita recognized the voice immediately. So this was the man in the kitchen. "They look like kids. Maybe we should let them go." Ludwig was silent. The man lowered his arm that held the gun before turning to the kids. His eyes were big and brown, just like Aloisa's Mama…

Another man pointed accusingly at their group, nearly the exact twin of the blue uniformed man. "So you were the ones that were interrupting my speech! This is unforgivable! Russia, I want you to clobber information out of them! Right now! Let go of me, Spain!" Felicita watched her Papa wrestle the man back into the armchair, saying, "Calm down, Lovi, I don't think violence is the answer…" Her Papa had called the man Lovi, there was no doubt about it. That was her Papa's nickname to her Mama. But this Lovi had also addressed Ivan as 'Russia.'

"Goddammit, Ivan, will you wait?" Alfred tried to grab on to Ivan's scarf, but Ivan twisted away and continued to march towards the kids, holding his pipe with both hands, his creepy aura darkening. He singled out a random person by pulling on his arm, and this unfortunate person happened to be Alec. Adrian didn't expect his dad to pick Alec; they were so far back in the group. But he threw Alec to the ground and slung his pipe over his shoulders.

"So, _товарищ_, are you willing to tell us your identity now?" Aloisa wanted to scream at Alec to tell the truth, and that she didn't care anymore since his head was going to be cracked open by that huge Russian anytime soon, but Alec stared defiantly at Ivan.

"Never," he said, his eyes peering at him from under his hat. Ivan raised his pipe and prepared to bring it down on Alec, the dark ominous cloud around him beginning to thicken drastically.

"Ivan!" Alfred shouted. "Don't—"

Too late. The pipe came sailing down on Alec at the same time Adrian dove for his lover. He used his back to shield Alec from the attack and single-handedly caught the pipe with his left hand. His hand wavered, for Ivan was still pressing it down, despite his initial surprise. He knew he couldn't hold it for too long, his dad was too strong.

Everyone in the room gasped, their eyes widening in fear. This teenager had caught the Ivan's pipe by one hand. He was definitely not human. He'd actually stopped Russia. But no, they could see the boy beginning to shake, his arm starting to give. Ivan smiled his creepy smirk, lowering the temperature in the room by ten degrees.

Alec gasped quietly, "You—"

Adrian turned his head to Alec, still straining with the force that his dad was applying on the pipe. "I told you last night. Remember? _Я всегда рядом__. __Доверься мне_."

Alec was shaken. "I don't know what that means—" Adrian shook his head, his arm felt numb now. "It—" He couldn't hold it anymore. They were both going to be destroyed by his dad now, how ironic. His arm drooped down and the two waited for the impact.

It never came. Adrian flipped his head and saw Mikhail hovering over him and holding the pipe with one hand, just like he'd done. But Mikhail had strength to match even Ivan. He had rushed in at the last minute, but he was confident that he could overpower his Папа. His мама had once proudly said that the only person who could push Ivan down in a fight was her and only her, and he figured that he must've inherited some of that abnormal strength genes from his parents. Hopefully.

Ivan's face became dumbstruck as Mikhail pushed him farther and farther back until he actually landed on the ground. Ivan was too astonished to move, and Mikhail was looking at his hands like he'd become the Incredible Hulk. He'd just pushed his near six feet father down, and he was completely relying on adrenaline. Wait, that was probably why…it's like how a mother could easily push a burning car off a child…his mind wandered elsewhere.

The nations in the room were staring at Mikhail like he suddenly sprouted a second head. The Baltic Nations didn't dare to look at Ivan in the eye. Romano had ceased fussing and gazed at Mikhail in horror. He had just won against one of the most powerful nations in the world.

Adrian had fallen limp on Alec. He panicked and took the boy's face with both hands, talking to him rapidly in French. "_Réveiller_!" he yelled. "_S'il vous plaît réveille_!"

Arthur and Francis walked over to the boy. "Collin?"

Alec turned his tear-stricken face to the adults. "_Il ne se réveille pas…S'il vous plaît aidez-moi!_" he gasped.

Francis knelt down and gingerly felt Adrian's arm. "He fainted," he said finally. "Russia broke his arm, but not very badly."

Alec couldn't stop blubbering in French. "_Que dois-je faire? Est-ce qu'il va mourir_?"

Francis shook his head. "He is fine, _mon cher_. We need to take him to a hospital right now. Germany! Help carry this boy to the hospital!"

Aloisa's dad came over immediately and effortlessly picked Adrian up. "Meeting is adjourned," he shouted. The nations dispersed, the ones who had children held their hands and led them out of the room. Aloisa and the others were right behind Ludwig, glancing worriedly at the unconscious Adrian.

Alfred picked Ivan up, grunting. "Let's go, Ivan. We need to go see what damage you've done to the boy."

Alec turned to Arthur and his dad. "I need to go with him." He turned and followed Ludwig quickly, his fedora drifting to the ground.

"Wait, Collin, you dropped your—" Alec turned around. His flushed face stared at the two in surprise. Francis and Arthur stared back, mouths gaping open. No one spoke for while.

"Bloody hell, are you Alec…?"


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thanks for all the review/favs/alerts! YOU SO AWESOME LIKE DAT! **

**This is a super quick update, because for the week I will probably be completely swamped with work and I might not be able to post for a few days. XD So here is the longest I have EVER written. Eleven pages on Word. Oh yeah. **

**Did you guys vote yet? Voting gives me a pretty good idea of which characters I should improve on and which to give more spotlight (?) to. Go vote for your favorite characters if you haven't! LIKE. NOW. 8D (So far I think Mikhail is in the lead. Totally. Unexpected. LOL)**

Я люблю тебя [Russian]—I love you (If you haven't listened to how it is pronounced, do it now. It sounds so bizarrely sexy.)  
Товарищ [Russian]—comrade  
Oui, je pense [French]—Yes, I think

**Note: Angelina will appear again. Oh, dear. XD  
****Same as before: all gram/sp will be corrected once it is published. Excuse me if something looks wacked up. ^-^;;**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.f**

"Well? Answer me!"

Alec scowled. "What do you care, Mr. Kirkland?"

Francis bristled. "Alec, don't talk to him like that!"

"Why shouldn't I? I thought you and _Maman_ were going to a meeting, but I guess you were really hooking up with your lover! You were going to leave us! I knew it!"

Arthur held a restraining hand on Francis's arm, his voice softened as he understood the situation. "So was it you that I saw in the café and the restaurant?"

Alec hiccupped from crying so much. "Yes, that was me, okay? I didn't know you were in the restaurant, but that was also me."

Arthur grinded his teeth; that meant Ethan Cole attempted to rape his son and also that Alec had some sort of relationship with that James Stanton. His voice was still soothing as he spoke Alec, "Then why did you follow your parents here?"

"Because, Mr. Kirkland," he replied coldly, "I realized that something was not right with my dad. I came with friends who had similar questions about their parentage. And now that I've found that my dad was cheating on my mother, I am ready to go home."

"Alec…" Francis put both hands gently on his son's shoulders. Alec was racked with shudders from his earlier bawling. "I would never even think of being unfaithful to your _Maman_."

Alec refused to look at him in the eyes. "Then what are you doing with him? Where is she?"

Arthur nodded, giving Francis approval. "She is right here, _mon cher_. Arthur is your mother."

"W-what…?"

"I'm your mother, Alec," he said tenderly. "I had to go by the name Elizabeth so you wouldn't think it strange."

Alec stared at the man. He looked very similar to his mother, now that he could study him up close. "So…I'm adopted?"

Francis sighed. "No, you are not adopted."

"Then what am I?"

"You are our son," Arthur said. "Completely biological."

"How is that even possible?" Alec wriggled out of Francis's hold. "You guys are making fun of me!"

"It's possible," Francis said quietly. "Because…"

"What?" Alec demanded. "Because I'm actually your distant nephew or something?"

The Englishman shook his head. "No…it is because we are not human."

Alec stepped back. "How can you be not human? Is it because you got pregnant? Wait, are you a transsexual?"

Arthur answered irritably, "No, of course not. I was never human. Your father and I are over a thousand years old now. I honestly don't remember the exact age. Stopped counting when it hit a thousand, but you can always find it online, so it's quite handy at times."

"Find it online? What, now you're—"

Francis didn't let Alec cut in with some smart response again. "Alec, we're nations. We represent the country of France and England respectively, and as long as people are willing to call themselves our citizens, we will continue to live."

"That's crazy! How can—"

"Did you not notice that your _Maman_ and I have not changed since the day you were born? Or that we get sick on days when our economy falters? Or that we're wearing authentic World War Two uniforms? Or on the Fourth of July when _Maman_ cries his eyes out every yea—"

"That's not important, frog!" Arthur blushed and slapped a hand to Francis's mouth. "But Alec, do you understand? Everyone that was in this meeting room a few moments ago are all personifications of nations from all around the world. We were going to discuss how to break the news to our children, and also another thing…"

Alec's pocket started to ring. He was jolted out of his astonishment and picked up the pink, sparkly phone he found. Arthur raised his eyebrow. "Hello?"

The cell was on speakerphone, and Aloisa's voice blasted through. "Alec? Good thing Evangeline misplaced her phone in your pants, and thank God you actually have it. Where are you? You need to hurry up and come to the hospital."

"Y-yeah, alright." The phone snapped shut and Arthur glanced at his son curiously.

"I-I'm sorry, _Maman_," he said, accepting for now that his Mom was male and actually a super powerful being. He decided that he could scream about the impossibility of that later when the shock sets in; Adrian was currently first priority in his mind. "That was Aloisa…"

"Who is Aloisa? And is Evangeline here?"

"Evangeline is here…she's the one with the piercings and make-up. B-but don't worry, those are fake. Aloisa is…um, I think she's Ludwig's daughter."

"Germany's? Dear God—"

"_Angleterre_, we can discuss this in the hospital. Right now we have to listen to Germany's daughter. Alec can explain everything later…"

Francis shot a warning glance at Alec, who gulped. Aloisa was definitely going to stab him later. That is, if his dad and mom didn't get to him first. For now, he followed his parents out the door and pondered the consequences for talking to his _Maman_ like that earlier.

* * *

_Georgetown University Hospital, 12:05 P.M …_

"What is the boy's name?" the lady at the counter asked Ludwig. Adrian had been carted away to a room, and the few nations that had followed them were reclining on chairs, waiting. Angelina and her father had gone off to who knows where in the midst of the confusion. Felicita's Papa and Lovino lingered around, chatting with Feliciano. Alfred and Ivan had settled uncomfortably on those over-sat and worn armchairs, unsure of what to do.

Ludwig turned to Aloisa, expectant. Aloisa slowly sighed. No point in hiding anymore, this marked the final end to their cross-country journey. They totally screwed up. "His name is Adrian Braginski," Aloisa admitted.

Alfred and Ivan stood up, their faces stricken. "That's a lie," Ivan said to Aloisa. "He is not Adrian. How can you possibly know who he is?"

Mikhail faced his dad with a neutral expression. Ivan looked agitated, while Alfred was switching from different levels of dread. He received an approving nod from Aloisa before speaking, "It is Adrian Braginski, I am positive, Папа. I think I would know my own brother."

Alfred gasped. "Jesus Christ," he moaned. "Mikhail?"

Mikhail nodded solemnly, a little startled that Alfred knew who he was. He tore off his wig and stuffed it in his coat pocket, making the nations who'd followed Adrian to the hospital catch their breath. Ivan stared at his hands, then his son, suddenly racked with guilt and pain.

Alfred breathed, trying to even out his panic and failing. "Mikhail…are you sure?"

"Yes, Mr. Alfred. But you wouldn't worry about that because you are going to leave with my Папа, da? And _you_ were going to leave my мама and Adrian and me with this man, were you not, Папа?" _And why do you even know my name?_

Alfred started; he'd just realized he was in his male form, bomber jacket and all. He glanced up at Mikhail, who was watching him the way a stranger would to an enemy. He might not be able to read the atmosphere (he'd finally figured out what the hell it was, though he never did find that book) very well, but he knew his own children.

Alfred stood up and gingerly held Mikhail, who tensed up considerably. "I'm sorry, Mikhail," he murmured. "Mommy is sorry." Mikhail didn't understand, though he was surprised when his Папа came over and held his shoulder. Mikhail caught sight of a lone drop of wet his shoulder. It wasn't him. His dad never cries. Only his mother cried, but rarely. Whose tear was it…? _Then…Alfred is my…oh no. Oh no. What do I do now? This is so impossible I've never even thought about it. Actually, no one has ever though about it. Then, I am not related to my parents? But I look like them, and I… _

"Mikhail…" Felicita muttered, watching Mikhail's eyes glaze over in thought. She eyed her Papa and Lovino, and finally decided to blow her cover. It was truly over now; she nudged Evangeline and Aloisa before following Mikhail's example. Antonio and Lovino's eyes widened in bewilderment, staring at their daughter.

"I'm sorry, Papa," she said to Antonio. "I know you must be disappointed in me." He was going to hit her or chew her out right here, she knew it, even though her Papa had never done so before.

Instead she found herself in a hug. Antonio wrapped his arms around her with gusto, and Lovino soon joined in wordlessly. "Oh, _Bebé_, I was so worried. Your Mama was so worried. Why would you follow us here?" Lovino was hugging her, his face blushing and frowning in embarrassment, it felt so familiar. Almost like it was her—

"Mama…?" The embrace tightened, and she knew it to be true. But how? Oh man, she needed to sit down, or go to therapy, or—

Aloisa shrugged, taking off her wig. The blue uniformed man squealed joyously. "Aloisa~!" He jumped onto her and held her fiercely. "Ve, Ludwig, it's Aloisa! She flew here to see her Mama and Papa! I knew we should've brought her along, because she would've come anyways!"

Aloisa was so shocked. "Mafma?" Her mom was a man? Dear god, she must be dreaming. That meant that her parents were…a _yaoi _couple_. Oh. My. God. This is the best thing that's happened to me since I bought all of the Junjou Romantica DVDs from eBay. _

"_Si, bambina_!" Ludwig stood stiffly, until he too, came over and encircled his arms around Aloisa and Feliciano.

"_Mein Gott_, why would you do something like this?"

"I'm sorry, Vati," she muttered into Feliciano's shoulder.

"And for us to not notice at all…" Ludwig smirked good-naturedly at Aloisa, and the female population in the waiting room all fainted in delight. Aloisa grinned at her Vati before looking at her 'Mom.'

Okay, she didn't think they were joking. Feliciano had the same curl, the same warm eyes, the same chestnut hair, and the same absent-minded smile. But although she was happy she had a real life yaoi couple as parents, then did that mean Felicita and Aloisa were adopted?

"Mama…" Aloisa ventured timidly.

"What is it, _bambina_?" He'd released his hold on her, but he was still close enough for Aloisa to see that he was a pretty boy, twenty years old at most.

"Am I adopted? And Felicita?"

"Felicita? Oh, you mean Lovino's daughter. Heehee, he named her after me—" "_So what if I did, bastardo_? _At least I didn't give my kid a potato name…_" "—Ah, well, you are not adopted, and neither is she. Nope, you're related to us, silly."

"But…but…"

"I know what you are thinking, or at least I think I do. It's not pasta, is it? Well, I will explain it later, hmm? I think either America or your Vati would tell it to you kids better."

"Who's America?"

Feliciano covered his mouth with his hand. It wasn't very masculine, but the action didn't appear overly girlish either. It felt natural for him to do that. "Oops. Well, you'll know later—"

"Get your hand off my ass! This is the tenth time I've said it to you today!"

"Ohohoho, I apologize…OW."

Arthur and Francis strutted into the waiting room, Alec following close behind. Aloisa quickly went to Alec, much to Ludwig and Feliciano's astonishment. How did their daughter know Alec?

"Where were you? I thought you were right behind us!"

"I got detained…"

"Evangeline!" Arthur gasped. Evangeline stared at the man weirdly as he deftly removed her fake earrings and wig. "God, I thought I told you to keep an eye on your brother. Next time I need to hire a babysitter—ACK, stop doing that, you git!" He swiftly turned around and slapped Francis with a practiced hand.

"Oh my god, _Mum_?"

"Yes, yes, and don't _ever _get real piercings. I had eight back in the seventies, they hurt like a bitch...hey, Miss, where'd the boy with the broken arm go?"

"Uh…" The lady flipped through her book. "Room 21, just down the hall. But sir, you can't—"

"Okay, I'm going to go help him."

Alfred and Ivan fell in step with Arthur; so did every nation and Aloisa's group. "I'm coming along," Alfred said.

"Why? You feel bad?"

"He's my son."

"Oh, then you feel like a bad parent, excuse me." Arthur spared Ivan an amused glance before turning back to Alfred, whose face got paler than before. Arthur wasn't worried though; he could fix up injuries right now, no problem. His economy was thriving, so he had some energy to spare.

The lady from the counter caught up to them, yelling furiously. "Sir, you can't barge into a room like that, the patient is still unconscious—"

Alfred slammed the wall, narrowly missing the lady, who froze in terror. "Listen girl, that is my son in there, and I am certainly not letting a human stop me." He caught up to the group and left the woman stuttering behind him.

* * *

_Room 21, 12:15 P.M…_

"Hey, what are you doing, you can't come in here—AGHH!"

Ivan held the doctor by his collar and tossed him out the room before shutting the door and locking it. Alec stared at how bruised Adrian's arm was, and wondered how they could do any help by being here and knocking out the doctor. Were they going to put a cast on him or something?

"Stand back," Arthur commanded. They all complied except for Alec, Francis, and Adrian's parents, who refused to let go of the bed handrail. "Okay, fine…"

"Wait!"

"What is it, Alfred?"

"Is this one of your voodoo demonic things that doesn't really work?"

"It does work! And it's not voodoo, it's magic!"

"Yeah, like that's a whole lot more convincing."

"You don't have to believe me," Arthur huffed, "but Francis does. Right?"

"_Oui, je pense_…"

"Unappreciative jerks…forget it."

Arthur closed his eyes and his hand hovered over the most bruised part of Adrian's left arm. Then out of Arthur's back came a blinding flash of giant white, feathery angel wings.

Alfred caught his breath. "Holy shi—"

The flash only lasted for two or three seconds, but before their eyes, the bruises rapidly disappeared as if it was washable paint, leaving only a faint pink mark where it used to be broken. Arthur stepped back woozily, but Francis caught him before he crashed.

"W-what—"

Francis answered for everyone, he looking dazed himself also: "His Britannia Angel powers, I assume. I thought he was joking before, but now... Anyways, I believe he channels some part of his economic welfare and directs it into a target. Maybe we could do that too, but _mon cher_ is the only one that's ever tried. Except for Norway, I imagine…"

Arthur reopened his eyes, gagging a little. "Urg, I'm fine, I just really shouldn't do this during lunchtime. I'm starving. The boy's fine, only a slight fracture, and that was easy to repair. I think that he's ready to leave the hospital once he wakes up."

Alec held Arthur's waist tightly. "Thank you, mommy, thank you so much!" Arthur smoothed his son's hair with his fingers. He hadn't called him that in a long time. Evangeline stared at Alec, who seemed so accepting of their mother's real gender. She felt like she needed to talk it over with someone. Not the school counselor (who'd most likely send her to the loony bin), obviously, but someone.

As if on cue, Adrian's eyes fluttered open and he sat up instantly, wincing a bit when he leaned on his left side. The first person he saw was Ivan, and his initial reaction was to panic.

"AHH, dad! I'm sorry for following you and mom, but it was sort of important and I learned a lot of things and I met some people that I—" Ivan cut him off with a tight squeeze on his right shoulder. Alfred came forward and smiled in relief and joy.

"Forgive me…" Adrian heard his dad mutter; his voice was so small and heartbreaking. Adrian didn't blame him in the beginning, and now he felt worse.

He patted him on the back and grinned. "It was my fault. If I'd told you who I was right from the start…oh hey, Mikhail's here! And so is Al…fred."

Mikhail scratched his head. "That's actually our мама," he said uncertainly.

"Haha, you must be shitting me. Just because I broke my arm doesn't mean I broke my head—"

"I shit you not, brother. They will explain it to us soon." Ivan stepped back and inclined his head towards Alec as an apology. Alfred was still beaming warmly at Adrian, and right away he saw the truth. That was his mom. He had on the exact smile she uses whenever he was home sick with a cold to make him feel better. The fact that his mom was male (and that his dad had married him…does that mean he was gay? Doesn't that make him adopted then?) didn't keep him from gaping, however.

"Thank you, Arthur." Arthur nodded, but he was secretly glad that Alfred didn't call him Iggy.

"We will repay you in someway, товарищ."

"That's…not really necessary…please."

Alec took this chance to jump on Adrian. Alec snatched thfe blond wig off of his lover and proceeded to hold him carefully. The nations stared, astounded, while their children laughed in satisfaction. At least something good happened today.

"_Merci_, Adrian, _merci_," he whispered, his breath hot on Adrian's face.

"Я тебя люблю," came the answer. To Alec, it sounded a lot like gurgles, but really, really _sexy _gurgles. And then Adrian tilted Alec's head and pressed his lips onto Alec. It was so familiar; it almost felt like they were replaying the beginning of yesterday night. Alec wrapped his arms around Adrian's neck and kissed deeper, not caring if their parents were staring at them, shocked.

Arthur and Alfred were more or less hoping that their brains were playing tricks on them; they froze and didn't know what to say to their kids or to each other. Francis was alternating between watching Russia (who had his usual creepy look on maximized to a hundred million) and the hot make out session in front of him.

Aloisa turned on her cell and clicked videos and photos in a lightening fast speed that could only match Elizaveta; Ludwig peered at her, horrified. His daughter was a mini-version of Hungary, and he had never realized this, even when he was cleaning her room and found twelve volumes of manga bearing the title 'Junjou Romantica.'

This probably went on for a minute or so without anyone saying a word. When Aloisa was just about to propose that Adrian should go shirtless, a giant cooking pan flew in from outside (thus making a giant splintery hole in the door) and clattered on the opposing wall.

With a well-aimed kick, Elizaveta snapped the door off its hinges and ran into the room, her green military uniform looking sharp and clean-cut, her heeled boots making a racket on the linoleum floor. She was panting and her face was red, like she'd been running.

"Why did you guys lock the door? Italy-chan! Austria-san told me someone had gotten hurt! Was it you—" She saw Adrian and Alec on the bed, momentarily interrupted and staring at her, stunned. She sank to the floor, her knees having gone weak. Using a staggering hand, she pointed at the couple and shrieked. "_AHHHHHHH_! It's Collin and Brad! Oh my god, Nancy should be here, I can't believe she's missing this—"

Aloisa stepped in front of the overcome woman. "Elizaveta?"

Elizaveta looked away from the bed, her ffangirl rush diverted. "Do I know you?"

"Um...I'm Nancy."

Elizaveta's smile increased tenfold as she took Aloisa's hands. "What? But you have blond hair! Nancy has…oh, I see, you dyed it. I like it! It looks really chic!"

"I, uh, actually lied to you. I'm not really Nancy. I'm not married to Jake Harlen, and his name is actually Mikhail Braginski."

"W-what…? But that's Russia's last name! Then who are you?"

_Who's Russia? _Aloisa smiled crookedly in embarrassment. "My name is Aloisa Beilschmidt."

Felicita knelt down, feeling bad that she'd lied to Elizaveta, too. "I'm not really her daughter. I'm Felicita Carriedo."

Evangeline laughed nervously, trying to be polite to Elizaveta after being so rude to her when she was in her disguise. "I'm not Janet's sister either, and my piercings are fake. My name is Evangeline Bonnefoy and that's my brother Alec with Mikhail's brother, Adrian."

Elizaveta sat dumbly on the ground. She looked over the kids' sheepish faces to Ludwig.

He sighed. "Aloisa _is_ our daughter." Oh, he knew he was going to regret telling Hungary. Elizaveta's mouth dropped.

"That's right, Elizaveta!" Feliciano exclaimed. "Isn't she such a treasure?"

"Well, _my _Felicita is a hundred times more precious than her! Potato, agree with me!"

"Uh…"

"Of course, Lovi! No need to get angry~" Antonio glanced apologetically at Ludwig, who nodded to express his understanding. Felicita blushed and thought, _No doubt about it. That's my Mama. _

Her attention came back to Aloisa and her eyes got shinier. She was still holding Aloisa's hands, and she grasped it tighter. "You are Feli's daughter? I knew there was some resemblance! You are so cute! You have your father's hair and eyes, well, you look more like your dad than Feli, but you are still so cute!" The woman chattered on and on, the other teens moving back so they wouldn't fall prey to her obsessive adoration.

She suddenly paused and turned to Ivan quite seriously. "Russia. I think I should tell you this. Your—"

From down the hall there came the faint call: "Hungary-san, please don't go so fast! Yukiko, slow down!"

Yukiko popped her head into the open doorway, her hair curled with pink ribbons this time. "Where did the door go, Hungary-neesan?" she giggled. "Ah! Evangeline-san! Felicita-san!" She came into full-view and bowed to the girls. She was so petit and adorable in her flowered kimono that Elizaveta just had to pat her head and gush all over her.

"Oooh, you are such a dear!" Feliciano crowed along with Alfred. "You must be Japan's daughter!"

Then a shadow fell over Yukiko. "Excuse me, Yukiko," said the shadowy figure in a gentle and sweet tone as she moved her aside. Yukiko grinned and apologized for being in the way.

In came a very pretty girl in some sort of Alice in Wonderland ensemble, complete with a white bow on her head. Ivan yelped and pressed his back to the wall, his face breaking out in sweat. He didn't care about Alec and Adrian anymore. Adrian and Mikhail regarded their father strangely. They'd never seen him so scared before, especially not in front of someone this harmless looking. But the nations all backed to one side of the room, Alfred included, leaving Ivan in his little inescapable corner. Then the teens knew why.

The woman smiled insanely at Ivan, tilting her head with a sickening crack. Felicita was immediately reminded of Lisa (and speaking of her, where was she now?). This woman had a more intimidating aura than Ivan and the glasses man combined. She spoke in a thin, little voice, quite different from the one she used on Yukiko.

"Big Brother, I can finally see your face..."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews/favs/alerts! You guys are such sweeties (just like Mikhail!) for staying with this story, I really mean it. I LOVE YOU ALL, HUNNYBUNNIES! ;A; This chapter is a coupledays late, but I've been a bit busy. Proofreading took a while, since all the words seem to melt together after checking them two times. Anyways, all sp/gram errors or plotholes will be corrected once published. Please forgive me…  
EDIT: Document Manager likes to link words together whenever I write too much. Please excuse me if DM decided to link some words that are not supposed to be linked. It looked fine on Word, really...XD I think I caught most of the links though.**

**Are you guys voting? (Yes, I'm being annoying with the whole polls thing.) Now I know that you guys like Mikhail! I might write a little special something based on him and his Russian-y adventures or something: **_**Mikhail and the Russian Factory**_**LOL I DON'T KNOW. Anyways, GO VOTE! OR I AM DISSAPOINT. So yeah. I'm gonna leave it up there. XD For those that have voted: You guys are such awesome Prussian-like darlings! You get a big hug from Mikhail for being cool~ **

**I was lurking on YouTube when I found this song called, "Have You Met Miss Jones?" **h t t p :/ www .youtube .com/ watch?v= cj2ksdV8a-8  
**I say that Alfred's girl mode would look like the woman in the green dress [okay, now I officially proclaim that Alfred owns that dress]. God, imagine if Ivan was the one singing and dancing with Alfred. (The other women can be several Belaruses or whatever you prefer XD)  
****Because of that, you can now be on the lookout for a NEW STORY that deals with this song and RusAmer ****[this is totally their wedding song. Gosh. 8D]**

**EDIT: Last name 'Braginsky' has been changed to 'Braginski.' YEAH, BABY! XD**

**Request another reviewer: Okay, there are a lot of new people coming up in the last couple of chapters, so here's a list of characters (that have already appeared) so you won't get confused [by the way, I actually have a piece of paper with character info for my own reference. Yeah, I'm noob, I forget sometimes, too. XD]:**

**Aloisa ****Beilschmidt**(Nancy Harlen, red wig, mother-figure): blond, blue eyes, knows a little bit of German and understands Italian II degree of Italian, adores dogs (she has Blackie, Aster, and Berlitz as family pets), GerIta  
**Felicita Vargas Carriedo**(Janet Harlen, thick glasses, blond wig, little sister figure) olive green eyes, brown hair, knows a bit of Italian and Spanish (Italian swear words included), afraid of dogs, SpaMano  
**Adrian Braginski**(Brad Bitt, blond wig, couple with Collin Bitt): silver hair, blue eyes, Nantucket ahoge lookalike, Alec's lover in real life, know how to speak Russian fluently (but he prefers English), RusAmer  
**Mikhail Braginski**(Jake Harlen, black wig, father-figure): elder brother, blond bangs, violet eyes, Ivan-aura, knows how to speak Russian fluently (and sometimes slips into it when he is anxious or angry), RusAmer  
**Alec Bonnefoy**(Collin Bitt, fedora, blue highlight, couple with Brad Bitt): blond hair, England-eyebrows, fail cooking, Adrian's lover in real life, speaks French fluently (sometimes talks in French when he is distraught, but most of the time he does it for fun), FrUK  
**Evangeline Bonnefoy**(Victoria Harlen, three piercings, brown wig, punk-style disguise): green eyes, blond hair, excellent chef, super polite, speaks French fluently (though she prefers to use English), FrUK  
(**Note**: Adrian and Mikhail are fraternal twins. Alec is older by Evangeline by a year. Aloisa and Felicita are cousins.) See age chart in Chapter 12; see flight seating chart in Chapter 8

Ritz-Carlton Luxury Hotel: Adr/Ale: Room 434; Other four: Room 435

**Angelina Allred**: blond hair, stuck-up, picks on Felicita, hates Aloisa [Father: Thomas Allred, represents and controls all of California's school districts]  
**Billy **(former tutor of Aloisa): crazy driver who took the kids to the airport, is supposedly an academic genius and studying to get into Berkeley  
**James Stanton** (now in George Washington University in D.C.): Alec's old boyfriend; James had dumped Alec (who was a freshman going onto sophomore then) because he lied that he was leaving for college when he was actually cheating on him with Cindy  
**Cindy**: James'swould-be fiancé, until Alec came in and Cindy completely rejected him later on  
**Ethan Cole**: world famous supermodel, met Feliciano and Lovino (who were acting as supervisors) when he was 18 at his first runway show in Milan, currently in D.C. for modeling commission  
**Lisa Berns**: psychotic babysitter, [spoiler not in this chapter] burned part of Felicita's school after the kids' departure.

**Yukiko Karpusi**: elegant little five (?) year old girl, but is she really just that? Giripan  
**Hanna Oxenstierna**: Cute blond girl, age eight, seems to understand her parent's identity, likes to chat with Annelise, SuFin  
**Eirik Køhler**: serious boy with Norway-hat, age seven, likes to listen to Peter talk, seems to understand his parent's identity, DenNor  
**Annelise (Anne) Køhler**: bouncy, energetic six year old girl, friends with Hanna, seems to understand her parent's identity, DenNor

Bastardo! Forse si vuole uccidere mia figlia e il bastardo di pomodoro? Mi auguro che le sue terre coltello—! [Italian]—Bastard! Did you want to kill my daughter and the tomato bastard? I hope her next knife lands in your skull—!  
Mon lapin [French]—my rabbit  
Minou [French]—kitty

**Yukiko's hairpin: **h t t p : /www. polyvore. com/ japanese_geisha_hair_ornaments_ verdant/ thing?id= 399715  
**Extra Note**: Kansai region is also referred to as Kinki. Here's a copy and paste explanation because I am lazy. oTL "'Kinki' is a clearly defined geographical region with boundaries that can be drawn on a map. It is made up of Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, Shiga, Mie, Wakayama and Nara prefectures. Kansai, on the other hand, is a historical and cultural term which usually refers to Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. It can also sometimes include Shikoku and the Chugoku district."

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. [And now here's a divider...I usually don't put dividers here because I don't need to since everything's bold for A/N, but this one is sort of confusing, I guess. Here we go!]**

* * *

"I have been following you for so long, all the way from Russia to England to America…"

The woman said the last word like it left a bad taste in her mouth. She continued, her fingers barely brushing Ivan's trench coat, making the man whimper and sink to the floor like a kid. "I will forgive you, Vanya, for marrying that man, if only you come home with me…"

Adrian didn't understand why his dad was acting like a girl. If someone even touched him accidently(except for his mom, of course), his dad would probably crack their necks (not that he's done so before, but Adrian hoped that he wouldn't start now). Sure, the lady said his pet name in a really creepy tone, but was it necessary for their parents to crowd against either other so far away from this Alice lookalike girl? They looked like they expected her to pull out a knife or some other dangerous weaponry. Which was impossible, that was pretty laughable…

…until the woman reached into her poofy violet skirt and threw five daggers in the group's direction with deadly precision. Adrian thought he heard himself squeak, terrified, as he and Alec watched the knives soar through the air.

But Alfred and the grown-ups seemed accustomed to such a thing. Germany merely tilted his head to one side, and the first dagger lodged itself into the wall behind him; Feliciano curved his back like he was dancing, letting the second knife breeze past him and hit the wallpaper; Arthur swiped his arm, throwing Evangeline and Francis to the ground face first, the next two knife shooting past them and headed for whoever was behind, which happened to be Antonio and Felicita. Lovino hastily kicked Antonio and shoved his daughter to the ground at the same time, the third and fourth shots narrowly missing them.

"_Bastardo_!" he shouted at Arthur. "_Forse si vuole uccidere mia figlia e il bastardo di pomodoro? Mi auguro che le sue terre coltello—!"_

Alfred didn't move; he lifted his hand and leisurely caught the final knife with two fingers before it scraped his forehead. He hummed slightly and tossed it into the trashcan. "Good to see you again, Natalia. I had a feeling that was you I saw in London."

"You were in London and you didn't tell me? You bloody git! Idiot! Prat! You—!"

She crossed her arms and frowned at being upstaged. "I see you've gotten better. It matters not, you will eventually have to cease escaping, and then Big Brother will finally marry me."

She slithered forward. "I need you to remove my ring and return it…"

Alfred held his hand up to his face so Natalia could clearly see the golden band. "_Your_ ring? No way, lady, Ivan got this made especially for _me_."

Natalia's entire body twitched like she was in a minor seizure as she pulled out another knife from her pocket. "Then I will have to remove your finger."

She slung the knife hard into Alfred's face, but Arthur got in the way as he was shaking his leg to free himself from Francis's grasp. At the last second, he barely dodged the knife before it touched his forehead and stuck itself into the wall. Lovino sighed in disappointment while Arthur screamed in disbelief and rage, demonstrating ten pounds of Iggy-terror by heavily kicking Francis and sending him flying to Natalia's feet.

"You crazy woman! Watch where you're throwing that!" He let out a string of curses and flipped her off, adding to Ivan's horror.

But Natalia only huffed and forcibly pulled Ivan up before reattaching herself to his waist. Ivan made a noise that was a cross between a squawk and a drowning gasp. His eyes flew over to Alfred for help, but his husband was really staring at him in amusement and the smallest bit of jealousy.

Evangeline gawked at Arthur, who'd dodged the knifes _and _saved her so effortlessly. What _was_ he? How was all this possible? Unless…they were all in some sort of Matrix-orientated world. She frowned. She didn't believe that her mom was male. Her mother Elizabeth was a young lady of high society, not a strange man who had a tattoo and swore constantly.

Alec gaped at his mom admiringly. He didn't know that Arthur could do that; when he was in his dress, he usually sat around looking pretty during afternoon teas with other rich ladies interested in knitting or embroidery or whatever it was.

Felicita had been tugging on Aloisa's sleeve, the two of them moving stealthily towards the open door and far, far away from Lisa Number Two. They froze when Ludwig's gaze met theirs, a stare that clearly meant: _Don't even think about it. You are all in big trouble._

_What the hell just happened?_ Adrian remained motionless on his bed, not daring to move a muscle, for fear that Natalia would target him. Ivan twitched anxiously in the background, and Adrian thought he'd faint like a girl again due to fright. _This isn't a freaking circus! Why the hell are there knives? How come the adults avoided them so easily, not that I'm complaining, but who is this psycho? _

As if she could read his thoughts, she reluctantly let Ivan go and pivoted on her heels to face Adrian, her face scrunched up in concentration. She came up to him, her arms opened wide, and Adrian thought he was done for.

Instead, she pushed Alec off the bed roughly and gave Adrian a tight hug. "My name is Natalia Arlovskaya, and I am your aunt. It's wonderful to see you…your hair is just like Vanya's…such beautiful hair…and nothing like that man's…" she intoned, her eyes boring into his forehead.

Adrian shuddered. Okay, now he's positively freaked out. She's _his _nutty knife-throwing aunt and she wants to marry her own brother. Yukiko didn't seem to detect anything wrong with Natalia throwing dangerous weaponry, seeing as she climbed up on the bed and straddled Adrian's thighs.

"So you are Miss Natalia's nephew! His hair is so pretty, right, Miss Natalia? Like my Okaasan's!" Natalia nodded silently and continued stroking Adrian's hair; the boy tried not to move too much, just in case his crazy aunt changed her mind and plunged a knife into his skull for shaking.

Alec indignantly stood up, furious that the woman had shoved him off so rudely off _his _boyfriend, but Evangeline tugged on his jeans from her place on the ground.

"Do you want to die?" she hissed and pointed at her father, who was peeking under Natalia's dress none too discreetly. She then promptly slammed her foot mercilessly on Francis's face, her face blank as she watched the man wriggled underneath her foot. Yukiko observed the attack with fascination.

Adrian noticed that amidst all Yukiko's pink ribbons was a neatly done bun held in place by a traditional lime green hair pin (that was really a long stick looking as if it could kill, which was not such a happy thought at this moment) with dangling jewels hanging delicately from the tip. It sparkled with an inhuman light, like emerald fire burning into his mind, seeming to bear hundreds of years of untold sorrow and dignified beauty.

"Natalia! Please don't run go fast! You know I can't keep up!" echoed a voice down the hall, accompanied by a _thump-thump_ every couple of seconds. Natalia flipped her silver mane in annoyance.

Yukiko hopped off Adrian's lap and launched herself into the second woman who'd arrived. Adrian blinked and his momentary trance was broken; he didn't realize he'd been staring at the hairpiece for so long.

The woman was bent over, panting from exhaustion. She wore a darkish brown trench coat not unlike Ivan's and, her yellow hair band slipping off a little on her platinum blond hair (cut stylishly short). Yukiko peered interestingly at the woman's face. "Miss Katyusha, are you alright?"

Katyusha puffed slowly, catching her breath before answering Yukiko. "Of course I am, dear. Don't worry about me." She then painstakingly rose to nearly Ivan's height, smoothing out her coat. She had a round, pretty face, but the first thing the teens noticed was the front part of her body.

Dear god. Her chest. They. Were. Huge. And that didn't mean that it was flabby; they were proportional, more or less, but it clearly stood out. Adrian and Mikhail stared at them unblinking, watching Katyusha stumble and fall into Ivan's lap.

"Vanya!" she sobbed. "You're still the same! I missed you so much!" Ivan could've suffocated in her chest; she was hugging him close to her chest and he turned his head to one side to get air. Adrian's first thought: _My dad is a pimp._

"Sister, please…let go..." was all the kids heard from Ivan, who was gasping and struggling for oxygen. Katyusha instantly jumped back, her hands covering her mouth. Hold it, did her breasts just make a sound when she bounced (_what a horrible pun_, Adrian thought) back? He snapped his eyes back to the space in front of him when he saw Alec glaring intently at him, his face red with envy but not daring to step forth when Natalia was still there.

"I'm so sorry, Vanya! I didn't mean to—I wasn't—I didn't—oh, please forgive me!" Her eyes filled up with tears and threatened to fall, until Natalia clapped her on the back and scolded her.

"Big Brother won't die from suffocation, especially not from you. Stop sniveling."

"I'm sorry…" Then she brightened immediately as the turned to Alfred and threw herself on him. "Alfred! You look wonderful! I heard from Natalia that I am an aunt now! Where is my nephew?"

Alfred wheezed, "Over there." He pointed to Mikhail (who snuck up to the bed when Natalia was distracted) and Adrian. Elizaveta turned her head also and followed Alfred's finger.

Katyusha and Elizaveta screeched in delight, both diving for the boys eagerly. Katyusharan towards the boys at full speed, crashing into Adrian. "You have two kids! How adorable!"

"They look just like you!" Elizaveta patted Mikhail's blond hair lovingly, cooing to him as if he was about as old (_or young, however you prefer to look at it…, _Felicita thought) as Yukiko. Honestly, Mikhail didn't mind the attention.

Katyusha lifted Adrian's cheeks to her face and couldn't resist hugging the Ivan lookalike either. "I'm your aunt from Ukraine! You can call me Katyusha if you want! You poor darling, the people in the meeting told me you'd got hurt, but…I think I heard wrong." She giggled and continued to shoot comments at him like bullets. "Oh, you look like so much like Vanya! I should make you a scarf too! Do you like the color light violet? or would you prefer white?"

Adrian's face was smushed against Katyusha's bosom, the woman totally oblivious to the fact that she could easily cut off his breathing with her embrace. Alec opened his mouth to scream, but he was so mortified no words came out.

_Oh god, oh god, the Queen of Breasts is hugging me—shit, Alec's looking at me, he looks so mad… _"Any color is fine…" Adrian managed to say. Katyusha's eyes sparkled happily.

"Really? Then I should start on it right away! I'm going to go to that adorable craft store I just passed by and—"

"Sister, you dropped your button."

"Oh, thank you! Well, I'll see everyone soon, let's leave, Natalia! Eh, where did Vanya go? Maybe he went to the bathroom…"

Natalia whipped her ashy locks around. "That's ridiculous. I need to catch up with Big Brother. I'm sure he missed me…wait, what did you just say?" Her eyes searched maniacally at where Ivan was supposed to be, but he was no longer cowering in the corner. She gave a final mighty step on Francis's fface as she shrieked bloody murder in unintelligible Russian. Her sweet little face contorted into an ugly scowl as she grabbed more knifes that were strapped to her thigh and crashed out of the room, screaming like she was possessed.

"_Big Brother_! Please come back to me! You have to divorce that man and marry me! I'll make you happy—"

Katyusha wriggled her fingers in a farewell motion at the kids, patting Yukiko's hair before she jogged after her psychotic sister (cue sound effects). Felicita had retreated to the furthest corner of the room; this woman Natalia could've been Lisa's twin.

Alfred was the first to speak, no doubt shaken after the encounter, though he tried his best to appear nonchalant in front of Natalia. He knew that she would strike if he showed any weakness when she was around… "How come they knew where we wer—"

Elizaveta was still gently pinching Mikhail's cheeks. They were so fluffy and puffy and smooth and he was such a darling, like Russia with half the creepiness. _Oh, he's just like a stuffed animal bunny! I can't believe Russia's son could be this cute!_ "Roderich told me. He was about to sit down, but he got ushered outside because a fight broke out. What was that about? He was too far away to see anything."

Adrian coughed, watching his brother ham up his adorable factor for Elizaveta (who was totally sucking it up). "It's nothing," he said for the sake of his parents.

Ivan scooted out from underneath the bed. "Is she gone?" he asked fearfully. Adrian startled and rolled over the handrails and off the mattress, landing on his bad arm.

Alfred stared at his husband, wondering how the hell he managed to hid his ridiculously enormous body under there. "Uh, yeah, she left with Katyusha to some store. Ew, dust bunny." He picked a fuzzy wad from Ivan's hair dropped it in the bin.

Feliciano bent down to Yukiko's height. "Where is your Mama?"

Yukiko tilted her head a notch. "I think the mean lady from the counter isn't letting them in. You know, they've got cats following them. A lot of cats."

Arthur picked Francis up, looking disdainfully at the Frenchman. "You are such a stupid bastard," he said.

A vein popped in Evangeline's forehead. She couldn't take this anymore. This punk rocker man isn't really her mother, how could she'd been so dumb as to actually believe this phony impersonator? He was actually her father's secret lover, she was positive now. _I knew Alec was thick, but not idiotic enough to believe this lie! Why is everyone taking this so easily? How can our all of our moms turn into guys overnight? And that little hocus pocus Arthur did on Adrian…I'll bet Adrian's arm wasn't even broken in the first place! And for my dad to cheat on my mother with such a low class _man…

Francis didn't snap back at the man, only grinned in adoration. Evangeline rose to her full height, seriously enraged at being lied to. She wanted to see her real mom right now. Whatever her father did was none of her business, she decided bitterly. _Mother and Alec and I can get along by ourselves just fine. _She was about to tell Arthur off when the blond man turned to her with an stony expression, silent but clearly meaning trouble.

"Evangeline…" he began in a low voice. Evangeline was petrified for a split second; it was the voice her mother used when she was going to chew her or her brother out. Arthur narrowed his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"I thought I told you to watch Alec," he said slowly, letting each word sink in, eyeing his son sideways. Adrian slinked past Mikhail and Elizavetato Alec, ignoring the questionable looks Alfred was giving him when he slipped his arm around Alec's waist. But he had good reasons: he didn't need Alec to throw him in a lake or such for letting Katyusha smother him. Actually, maybe he'd be glad if Katyusha killed him. But for now, he ignored Adrian as he was intent on Arthur and Evangeline.

Evangeline composed herself and shot Arthur a steely look. "My _mother_ told me to watch Alec."

"And did you?" Arthur countered. "I trusted you to look after the house. It seems that you are more of a child than I thought you were."

Francis's expression sobered. "_Mon cher_…I think this is an exception. Evangeline is perfectly mature and it is not her fault that she followed—"

He shushed the Frenchman. "Don't interrupt me, Francis, I know what I'm doing. Tell me, Evangeline, did you listen to your mother?"

"No," Evangeline retorted sourly. "But that has nothing to do with you. Whatever goes on between my family and I has nothing to do with you or dad!"

She turned on Francis fast, allowing her fury to erupt on her father. "And you, dad, can start helping me by carrying your boyfriend off to your hotel or something so me and Alec can go home to Mom!"

Francis was stupefied. "My boyfriend…?"

Alec was making weird hand motions and gesturing giant Xs at his sister, frantically watching his mom's facial expression change from anger to guilt.

Everyone in the room was quiet, waiting for either Evangeline or Arthur to break the silence. Yukiko held Evangeline's hand, her teal eyes searching worriedly in Evangeline's.

"Evangeline-san, you don't mean that…" All of a sudden, Evangeline felt bad for behaving so roughly in public. She shook the feeling off and untangled Yukiko's fingers from her wrist.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered to Yukiko before stubbornly storming out of the room, bumping past a man who'd straggled in.

"Excuse me," she brusquely said as she brushed by, beginning to run in case anyone held her back.

"It is alright," the man said offhandedly before whipping back for a second look. "Was that Miss Evangeline? Did she dye her hair…?" But the girl was already out of sight. A second man appeared behind the first and rubbed his eyes; a kitten popped out of his white T-shirt and sauntered over to Yukiko. "Miss Felicita! Did _you _dye your hair too?" Felicita stiffened; she didn't dare to turn back and look at whatever expression her Mama was making.

"Kiku!"

"Okaasan! Otoosan!"

Aloisa watched her mom (or whoever he was. After Evangeline's short outburst, she was starting to question some things, too) and Yukiko jump at the shorter man at the same time and clinging to him, chattering excitedly. Ludwig tore Feliciano away and greeted the two men. Elizaveta shrieked again (this time even shriller) and launched herself on them like Feliciano did. Francis and Arthur were pushed out to the hallway while Alfred and Ludwig attempted to separate Elizaveta from Kiku.

Arthur shouted out into the hallway, though Evangeline had long disappeared. "Evangeline! Come back!"

"I will go out and look for her. She can't have gone far," Francis assured Arthur. He paused. "_Mon lapin?_ _Angleterre_, what's wrong now?"

Arthur balled his fists and stared straight down at the floor. "I don't know, Francis."

Francis lowered his voice and slightly Arthur's face up to his. His eyes were red and he was biting on his lip to keep from wailing. "What do you mean, _minou_?"

"I shouldn't have yelled at her. I shouldn't have lost my temper…I'm sorry, Francis. I know I haven't been the best parent and I'm always yelling at you—"

"It doesn't matter, Arthur. I still love you the same. Evangeline and Alec still love you the same." He pulled Arthur into his chest and ran his hand up and down his back soothingly. "We'll explain it to her, _non_? Alec understood, so she will too…"

"I don't know what to do." With one last sigh, he pushed away from Francis. He can't cry. He won't cry. "I know I have to find her. Thank you, Francis…" He flushed and was too embarrassed to say more. But Francis understood.

"Arthur-san!" Kiku gasped over the crowd. "It is great to see you and everyone else! I heard from Elizaveta that you were in the hospital!"

Ludwig finally yelled fiercely, his voice echoing off the hallway and ringing in everyone's ears. "Shut up!"

The pandemonium ended with an awkward silence. Yukiko tugged on Ludwig's sleeve and gestured with her hand facing up at Kiku and Heracules. "This is my Okaasan and this my Otoosan. Their names are Kiku Honda and Heracles Karpusi."

Kiku pulled her to his side. "They know, love."

"Ooh. Okay."

"Kiku," Romano broke in. "The girl knows who you are?" What he meant to say was: _How'd you know my daughter's name?_

The others muttered sounds of consent. How did she react so calmly to her mother being male? Even their kids were confused, except for Felicita. _It's probably because she acts so grown-up_, she thought.

"Heracles-san and I decided to tell her a few years back." Kiku shuffled uncomfortably, but Romano pressed on.

"That doesn't explain how she's so unresponsive to even Natalia. It's like she's been through enough dangers to be unafraid of that psycho." Ivan nodded, glancing at the doorway from time to time.

"Well…"

Heracles bent down and muttered in his daughter's ear before nudging her forward. Yukiko coughed at the expectant crowd and parted her ribbons, displaying her green pin, which now shined with an unnatural intensity.

She exhaled and spoke in a grown woman's voice, quite different from her regular kid tone and scaring the crap out of everyone. "My Okaasan and Otoosan informed me eight years back. I've made my choice to change into one of you, and since then I haven't aged. I've taken on every painful bit of history and culture of my city, but I've also accepted it as part of me. I believe my parents and I have made the right decision."

Alfred was even more shaken than he was when Natalia had barged in. Aw, geez. He'd thought that she was a cute normal little girl with a little girl voice. "W-What does that mean?"

Yukiko carefully removed her pin and held it out for everyone to see. Her silky hair cascaded past her shoulders and covered the ground in a glossy curtain, the ribbons wreathing itself in various coffee brown strands as her hair was unbound. Felicita was semi-shocked; she was nearly certain that Yukiko's hair was level with her chin the last time she saw her at the café. Yukiko's face looked as if she'd aged several years; she appeared compassionate and understanding, having seen many things in her life. Which was a ridiculous notion; she couldn't have been more than five years old.

The pin was intricately designed with swirls and carvings. Upon closer inspection, Adrian saw that the pin was actually a thin glass vial containing a glowing malachite-colored liquid that sloshed around like jello inside.

"My Okaasan gave this pin to me eight years ago, and it is now my life. The liquid inside is made from the ground leaves of Japanese maples and willow combined with water from Kamo-gawa. Every tiny drop of water in here signifies one person out of the millions that currently inhabit my home. If it breaks, I will die, and the city of Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe will collapse."

Feliciano eyes lit up. "I know who you are!" Ludwig stared at the Italian, pondering on how he could've figured whatever Yukiko was telling them faster than him. "You're a district!"

Yukiko regained some of her childlike qualities as she smiled brightly. "I am the Kinki district in the southern-central part of Honshu! You can also call me Kansai, isn't that right, Okaasan?"


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews/favs/alerts! Mikhail and I apologize for the oh-this-is-beyond-late update. Not a lot of time, you see, because I've been an idiot and spent all my time on sidestories for CTD. oTL I promise the next few chapters will be better. This one is so cheesy, arghh...**

**NEWS: Two more sidestories (one is nearly completed) for Connecting the Dots are heading your way! They're CTD-oriented, which means that Gilbert will be dancing with 6****th**** grade Aloisa. The other story includes a scene with Evangeline as a grown up **_**and **_**both sidestories include soundtrack (which is actually a mish mash of songs that fits with the scenes) and reference videos, so that's something to look forward to!**

**MORE NEWS: Adrian/Alec drama is nearing. It may look like it's died down here, but it has not, oh no. Coming soon in the next couple of chapters. **

**STUPID NEWS: I told you all that there is a Mikhail in my class a long time ago. He has blond bangs and he is tall and so adorable. The only thing different is that his eyes are not violet (well, I don't think that's possible in real life), but he has eyes that are pitch black, totally black, not brown (I didn't think that was possible either!) Well, we learn something new everyday.**

**There is another sidestory that I am thinking of writing, so if that ever amounts to anything, the story will be based on the song Black Horse and Cherry Tree. **

**I am so angry! Document Manager loves linking words together whenever I write too much. IT FAILS. ;A; I'll unlink the words if I have time, forgive me! So yeah, spelling/grammer will be fixed after being published.**

Danke, hübsche dame! [German]—Thanks, pretty lady!  
Mon dieu, ça fait mal... [French]—My god, that hurt…  
Chut, lapin. Il n'a pas d'importance ...[French]—Shush, bunny. It doesn't matter…

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. Happy Halloween, you guys. Trick or Adrian/Alec! **

Evangeline sluggishly walked down the street to the café. She needed to calm down. Right now. A hot mug of caramel macchiato with lots and lots of whip cream, that's what she needed. She did a few double takes to make sure that no one was pursuing her. She saw none. For some reason, it made her relieved and insulted at the same time.

There was the café, looking warm and cozy with its plush couches by the window. She'll just order something to cool her head, that's what she'll do. With renewed energy running through her legs, she made a dash for the front door, only to collide into a wall of something.

"Ow…" the man muttered. A white mini-polar bear jumped to the ground, tugging at its owner's pants with its mouth.

What the hell? She didn't see anyone there before. Was she going blind? "Oh, god, I'm so sorry." Evangeline helped the man up, apologizing profusely the entire time.

"I-it's okay. People tend to do that…" His voice was faint, as if he might topple over any second. He looked up at Evangeline, his pale violet eyes shining in embarrassment.

Evangeline gave a startled gasp and immediately retreated two steps back. "Mikhail's mom! Oh my god, oh my god, I didn't mean to—I was only—"

She scrutinized the man. Hold on, he didn't have glasses like Mikhail's mom; the strange strand of hair was absent from his forehead, only to be replaced by a twisty, curly one. But she had the feeling that she'd seen him somewhere in real life…

"My name is Matthew Williams," the man said softly. Evangeline had to strain to hear. "How about you come in with me and get some coffee, eh? I'm supposed to be waiting for my…my friend. Is that alright with you?"

Evangeline didn't see any harm in that. She followed Matthew into the café. Evangeline shivered in delight. Dear god, it was so toasty inside; the air outside was freezing. She mentally scolded herself for not bringing a jacket, and man, she was so hungry. The clock pointed one forty-five.

Matthew directed her to a couch. "Wait here." He went away to the counter and rattled off a bunch of items. Evangeline was about to get up and pay for her part, or at least some of whatever Matthew had ordered, but the man came back to the table just as quickly.

"No need," he waved her away. "My friend is joining us later and he can eat a whole mountain." He sighed and rested his head on his hands, looking straight at Evangeline. "You look so much like the two men who'd raised me. In fact, you're almost identical." He paused and snapped out of his funk. "I'm sorry, this must sound weird to you."

"No, not really. I don't think I can be any more surprised."

His gentle pastel orbs gazed at Evangeline. "Want to talk about it?"

Evangeline shrugged sadly. "All I know is that I'm in serious trouble with my parents."

She wanted to cry for her mommy, but it'd be idiotic to do it in front of a stranger in a public place. She was a high school girl, yet she wanted her real mom to hold her like she did in elementary school; she wanted to inhale the cinnamon and apple that Elizabeth always smelled like. But she didn't know where her mom was, or if Elizabeth even cared anymore.

Matthew nodded sympathetically. "I understand. My brother went through that a long time ago. He made our guardian so mad, and my brother finally left us after they stopped fighting. Well, I left Arthur, too, over time, but I didn't have to do it the way my brother did."

Evangeline froze. "Arthur? Is that your brother's name?"

"He's one of my former guardians. My brother's name is Alfred."

The girl stuttered in disbelief. _It's just a coincidence. There's no way…_ "T-then, t-then Arthur's last name…?"

Matthew's eyes lit up, as if he remembered something. "That's right! I never asked your name!"

Evangeline smoothed out her furrowed eyebrows like Aloisa. "You can call me Evan. But what's Arthur's last—"

The doors banged open, a rush of early autumn wind rushing in. A new man stumbled in, laden with shopping bags, and Matthew waved him over.

"Gilbert! Over here!" he smiled.

_That name sounds familiar…Gilbert—oh shit, that's Alo—_

Gilbert plopped his bags to the ground, to which Evangeline winced, but there didn't seem to be anything breakable in there. Gilbert chuckled sheepishly.

"Went to pick up something for the dogs so my niece won't pummel me when I go back."

"She's already going do that, Gil."

_And she was about to do that at McDonalds. You are one lucky idiot. _

"What? It's not like the dogs are going to die. They'll be alright as long as _West _doesn't get pummeled by Feli."

"I know that, but—"

"Hello! What's this?" Gilbert took a seat and addressed Evangeline. "My name's Gilbert, the awesomest person you will find anywhere!" His bright red (_red? Is that even possible?_) eyes glittered excitedly.

Evangeline fidgeted. This was Aloisa's uncle, the one that'd sparked that insane ferocity in Aloisa. "Nice to meet you, my name is Evan. I accidently ran into Mr. Williams when I was—"

"Again?" Gilbert roared with uncontrollable laughter. "Mattie, you have got to wear a sign around your neck or something…" Matthew blushed and fidgeted almost as bad as Evangeline. "Your name is very boyish, isn't it? It's not a nickname?"

"Uh…no." She won't let slip her real name again, like she did with Yukiko.

Gilbert stretched his arms. "That's cool. My niece has a real guy-like name, too. Aloisa. But she's in California right now, probably plotting with her friend on how to unawesomely disembowel me." Gilbert leaned in and half muttered to himself. "You look like Francis. Are you part French?"

Evangeline kept a squeal from escaping. How does one talk their way out of this one? _He said Francis, this is too much of a coincidence. What should I do— _"Well, that depends on how you look at it—"

"Here you are! I hope you enjoy your—oh!"

With a great expert sweep, Gilbert snatched the tray and expertly placed all the plates, heavy with pounds of steaming pancakes and more, onto their table. "_Danke, hübsche dame_!"

The waitress, now extremely flustered, squeaked out a short response and fluttered back to the counter, whispering and giggling to her friends. Matthew rolled his eyes, as if Gilbert doing that was normal. Evangeline's goggled at Gilbert and how he was pouring syrup and jam on his pancakes at the same time.

"I think I'm spoiling him rotten, giving him pancakes for lunch," he whispered to Evangeline.

Gilbert pointed his syrup streaked fork at them, chomping on several pieces of pancakes. "I heard that!" He swallowed with difficulty, then continued to Matthew lustily, "I like how you spoil me rotten. Come on, Evan, dig in!"

Matthew turned away from Gilbert in distain, though Evangeline could see that he was flushed. He picked up a newspaper and hid behind the open pages. The paper flopped down on the table a few seconds later.

"Gil, isn't this where you live?" He pointed to the headline. Gilbert's widened in recognition and a smile broke out.

"Yeah, that's where I live, aren't I so popular?"

"No, Gil, _read _the headline."

Gilbert took the newspaper, appearing pretty satisfied. "Okay, sure, I love spreading my fame around. Let's see, _Psychotic babysitter burns local high school…_holy shit."

"Isn't that Aloisa's school?" Matthew seemed as distressed as Gilbert, who was now reading aloud frantically.

"_Lisa Berns destroys part of local high school on Sunday_…_claims to have done it on account of a high school girl, Felicita, for leaving her for her friends…_Felicita…Aloisa is staying with Felicita! _Mein gott_, where's my phone?"

"G-Gil—"

Gilbert's eyes were flaring maniacally in worry."Crap, I don't know Felicita's number, and I forgot Aloisa's cell. I'll call West."

Matthew tried to calm Gilbert down. "Her name wasn't mentioned. I don't think she's in any trouble, or else Ludwig would tell you."

Evangeline shifted awkwardly and said the first thing that popped into her mind_._ "Uh, yeah, I am part French."

Gilbert fixed his stare on Evangeline, looking at her like she'd come out of space. Evangeline's outburst lingered in the air for a moment or two until Gilbert composed himself. "I-I'm sorry. So, you know anyone named Francis?"

"Gil!" Matthew scolded, yet he was obviously glad Gilbert had returned to normal. "It's not like everyone knows Francis!" He took the newspaper away when Gilbert was distracted.

The man stuck his tongue out. "I'm sure all the ladies and pretty boys like you know who he is."

"That's not the same! He's my former guardian—"

"I still think everyone should know him—"

"W-which Francis?" Damn! She should've stayed quiet! Matthew and Aloisa's uncle were about to start bickering, but her remark brought them back.

Gilbert concentrated on her face. "Francis Bonnefoy. Well, Evan?"

Evangeline stuttered. _What. The. Hell? My dad couldn't have raised Matthew, they look only five years apart! What do I do?_ "I-I…uh…"

* * *

_20 minutes ago, in the hospital…_

"Kinki…district?"

Kiku stepped in. "I let her become one of my districts…she has displayed a tremendous amount of capability to take on that task, and since she was born five years after Germany-san ordered the seclusion, I took matters into my own hands." He bowed. "I apologize, yet I do not regret my daughter's choice."

Alfred bent down to Yukiko's level. "T-then how did you—does she know that you're—"

He coughed. "I, uh, transferred her life source to the pin. It used to belong to the Empress of the Kyoto Imperial Palace. She gave me the pin when I visited the palace once, as a gift. And yes, I told her everything years ago. She seems to have taken it rather well…"

Yukiko offered the pin to Ludwig, who took it gingerly. Aloisa watched her parents stare into the object, transfixed. "My Okaasan remodeled the glass part. It won't break very easily. Actually, I don't think it'll break even if you use a chainsaw."

Alfred was still confused. "But it's just a regular pin…"

Heracles tapped Alfred's shoulder from behind and shook his head. His low voice rumbled out slowly. "Once an object given to you by a mortal stays with you long enough, it becomes part of you. The pin has come to represent Heian period to the Meiji period in Japan, and the thriving culture that remains in Kinki."

The American stuttered. How did Heracles know this? "Uh…thanks. So, Kiku, you're saying…"

Kiku nodded solemnly. "That's how you will do this." He passed the pin back to his daughter, who nimbly did her hair, which seemed the shrink back to a shorter length. Felicita thought, _That's kind of creepy. Like a Dora the Explorer doll where her hair can shorten and grow longer. _

"Oh, phew, okay, that's cool. I thought we were going to have to call Iggy to do a séance or something, right Iggy? …Iggy?"

Adrian piped in helpfully, "They went to look for Evangeline." Alec snaked out of Adrian's embrace, which somewhat irritated the other.

Alfred raised one eyebrow, and a fraction of his girl side slipped out. "That's ridiculous! They could've just asked me."

His son grinned. "Okay, so where are they?"

"In a café by fifty fourth—wait a second, young man, where do you think you're going?"

Adrian stopped mid-step. The rest of the children were sneaking behind the adults and tiptoeing out the door, their escape blocked by Heracles's tall figure (who looked as if he were about to collapse into sleep). Adrian will just have to catch up to them later at the café. _I'm sorry, Adrian, _Alec thought guiltily. _This is my sister, so... _

"I'm going to look for Evangeline."

"You mean, _We're _going to look for Iggy's kid. You don't even know who she is."

Adrian scowled belligerently. How could he not know her? "Yeah, I do!" He sounded like a kid in a losing argument for candy.

"No, you don't. And I haven't talked about you and that other boy yet…"

Adrian stiffened in embarrassment. "W-what do you want to talk about?"

The nations were still talking to each other, uneasily discussing about Yukiko and their children. They have not yet realized their kids were gone. Alfred pulled Adrian to a corner of the room, his eyes flashing. Adrian shivered; when he was a three, that glare his mom gave him that made him pee in his pants. Ivan said nothing, only observed.

"Who is that boy?"

Adrian held up his hands defensively. "What boy?"

"Stop stalling. You know who he is."

Adrian stared at Alfred, alarmed. The fact that Alec had kissed him in front of his parents _and_ Alec's parents had just begun to register. "His name is Alec." Shit, he's screwed everything up now.

Alfred froze. "Alec Bonnefoy?"

"Yes, Alec Bonnefoy."

"B-but that's Iggy's…oh, god. Wait, wait."

Alfred ruffled his hair, agitated. Ivan said calmly, "Who is he to you?"

"He's my friend."

Alfred flipped around, but not in anger. His expression was more of a concerned one than in rage. "I'm serious, Adrian."

Adrian looked from his dad to his mom, both gazing at him expectantly. "He…he's my boyfriend."

He was waiting for a gasp or some sort of shocked response, but his parents didn't do anything like that. Adrian watched Alfred's features soften to a more feminine tone, making him appear more and more like Allie. "How long have you two been together?" When he spoke, his voice came out as Allie's voice, warm and comforting, and most of all, it was familiar.

He didn't answer the question for he was afraid that Alfred, who he now completely believed was his mom, would disapprove. "I love him." Despite feeling extremely uncomfortable, the statement had come out confident and strong.

"And does he?"

Adrian fired back an answer right away. "Definitely."

Alfred patted his son's shoulder, as did Ivan. "That's what I wanted to know."

Adrian gaped at Alfred in surprised disbelief. "Really? That's all?"

Alfred shrugged. His voice had regained its male tone. "I just don't want you to get hurt—"

"Alfred, ve~" Feliciano skipped in. "Where is my daughter?"

That caught everyone's attention. They turned every which way fretfully, even checking under the bed (why not? Ivan had been there).

"They must have gone to the café," Ivan announced, disappointed. That meant they had to go outside, where Natalia must still be lurking. _It is okay, calm down, just run for it when you go outside…_Romano and Ludwig looked ready to explode as they sped out the door, each dragging their respective spouse. Yukiko skipped to Adrian, the two of them leading the way for the anxious adults.

* * *

_1:50 P.M., along the streets…_

"Bloody hell, do you know where you're going?"

Francis held Arthur's hand tightly, deftly weaving through slow-moving tourist crowds searching for restaurants. Arthur hardly noticed the looks some people were giving the two of them. "I think we should've made a turn back there."

"Nonsense, _mon cher_! I've been here many times and I know all the shortcuts to certain places!"

"Evangeline is not going to be hanging out in some shady area or a bar, so you don't have to look there," Arthur sneered sarcastically.

"That hurt, _Angleterre_. But I'm sure this is the right way, and look, there's Evangeline! And Mathieu! And…_Gilbert_? This is great! What a stroke of luck—"

"_The hell_?" It was Arthur's turn to madly lead Francis to the café door, but he left the Frenchman behind when the other slammed into a lamppost. _Matthew might keep Gilbert from destroying my daughter's mind for a while, but he's still no match for him. Have to hurry…_"Aw, dammit! I'm sorry!"

He didn't wait for an answer. Arthur opened the café doors and warm air brushed his wind-swept cheeks. He looked at Evangeline, who didn't see him yet.

"W-which Francis?" his daughter asked nervously.

Gilbert's and Matthew's backs were facing Arthur. Gilbert said, "Francis Bonnefoy. Well, Evan?"

"I-I…uh…"

"Evangeline!" he cried, relieved that he'd found his daughter, even if she wasn't with good company. Matthew and Gilbert turned around and their mouths dropped.

His regular voice had unknowingly faded to his Elizabeth voice, his mom voice, the one Evangeline and Alec were accustomed to. He could feel his face warp just a tiny inch to more feminine features. This always intrigued him, but he didn't pursue the matter further, for he was a nation and he understood that they could be capable of anything.

Evangeline stood up, her face dumbstruck. "M-mum?"

She took hesitant steps forward. If this was a hoax, then she swear she'd run away from home. There was one way to find out. The girl held her arms open, her eyes downcast. Her real mom would never approach her directly; instead, Elizabeth would say something first to lift her spirits up. At least that'd what she did when she was still in 3rd grade.

"Evangeline…" Arthur gave the smallest of smiles, tainted by overused lies and former bitterness. He whispered a worn and practiced line from long ago, "Evan, if you keep crying, you'll be so tired you'll miss your tea party with Mrs. Fairy_._"

It was old and more fitting to say to a seven year old and Evangeline had told him to stop saying it in fifth grade because it sounded ridiculous, but there was something familiar about that sentence, and at that moment she did not mind.

Then he put Evangeline's arms down and hugged her. "I'm sorry, Evan. I'm so sorry," he muttered into her hair.

Evangeline wasn't crying before when she was staring down at her toes, but now she was darkening Arthur's shirt with drops of wet. He was so warm and so close and he smelled like apples and cinnamon. Arthur might as well be her mom's real identity, but that didn't matter.

Her fists were balled and by her side, suddenly feeling too heavy and sore. "Please don't leave, Mum."

"I won't."

"Arthur…" Gilbert and Matthew rose, neither sure of what to do exactly.

Francis straggled in, holding his bruised forehead. "_Mon dieu, ça fait mal..._"

He saw his daughter. "Evangeline!" he exclaimed.

The girl raised her puffy red eyes to Francis and ran towards him. "I'm sorry, Dad! I'm sorry! I'm sorry I yelled at you and Mum, I didn't know! I-I'm, I didn't, I don't—"

Francis immediately wrapped his arms around his daughter, who was beginning to blubber. "Of course you didn't know…_chut, lapin. Il n'a pas d'importance ..._"

Needless to say, the scene came as a major shock to the two bystanders. They were both gaping like fish. "W-what…I don't…"

Arthur barely paid them any attention. A giant bang from outside turned all the heads in the café. When the regular patrons saw the newcomers, they quickly paid and excused themselves.

Alec raced into his Maman's embrace, happy that his sister didn't run into trouble (aka Ethan Cole). Gilbert took a step back, his eyes laced with fear.

"What's wrong, Gil?"

He pointed a shaky finger at a laughing blond girl whom Evangeline was currently clinging to.

"What about her? Gilbert…? Are you okay?"

It was as if her ears perked up when she heard the name 'Gilbert.' She inhumanly twisted her head in Gilbert's direction, who squealed and fell to the ground in his hurry to escape. The girl's sunny smile rapidly morphed to an ugly frown of anger as she untangled herself from Evangeline's arms. Her once sparkling blue eyes were still sparkling, but it was in feral rage.

"_Onkel_ Gilbert…"

That was the last thing she said before running to said person and pouncing on him, fingers poised for scratching.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews/favs/alerts! You guys are sweeties! Speaking of sweeties, I bet you all had a fun Halloween, rotting your teeth like little kids. I sure did.  
****For those that are confused about the characters, their bios are on chapter 17 in the A/N section, okay, bunnies? ^^ I will update them if necessary in upcoming A/Ns.  
****To those that have read Le Petit Prince: Although I've shown grown-up Evangeline by herself in the end, upcoming sidestories will prove that to be wrong. Oops, I slipped. **

**All grammatical/sp and Document Manager linked words will be corrected after it has been published. **

**Warning: Adrian/Alec drama in next chaptefr!**

**NEWS: A little surprise for you people in my profile. Go check it out. :) **

C'est merveilleux de vous revoir tous. J'ose dire que vous avez obtenu plus belle, mm? [French]— It is wonderful to see you all again. I daresay you've gotten more beautiful, mm?  
Allez-y, présentez-vous, très chers. [French]— Go on, introduce yourself, dears.

**By the way, the ending of this chapter is not what you think, so don't worry, everything will turn out awesomely. 8D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

"AHHH!"

He was literally one centimeter away from Aloisa's manicured nails, but Gilbert must carry around an aura of luck like how Natalia always has her aura of creepiness, because Mikhail had deftly caught Aloisa in midair before she landed on her uncle and crushed his head.

"Let me go, Mikhail! Let me go!" Aloisa tossed and turned, but Mikhail held on, this time knowing what to do. He had on a cheery smile, but his brain felt really foggy.

"Miss Kate!" he hollered to the waitress in a childish voice. Gilbert and Matthew shivered and were unpleasantly reminded of Ivan. "One lavender gelato and three cups of coffee, please! Actually, I think it would be better to give her more today."

Kate jumped to action, apparently having experienced an Aloisa-episode before. "Coming right up, Mikhail! Aloisa, you just wait one minute!"

Mikhail being on a first name basis with the waitress meant that they weren't being secretive at all when they were undercover, so that was a total fail (plus the fact that this Kate knew their real names). Felicita and Alec had to help Mikhail settle a writhing Aloisa on the booth. Mikhail downed his first cup of coffee in one gulp. Like his mom, he was severely addicted to caffeine. He left Aloisa and the two others waiting for their gelato.

Carrying his second and third steaming cup of coffee, he made his way towards Gilbert, whose eyes were unnaturally wide. "You okay?" he asked, offering one to Gilbert. One could actually see Gilbert jump out of his skin.

"Holy shit, you're Russia!"

Mikhail's eye twitched. "I am not."

"Then—who—w-what—?"

Aloisa had quieted down and was busy cramming her mouth full of gelato, which was good for Gilbert. Kate was chatting with Felicita and Alec amicably about something, seeming quite pleased with herself ("I told you guys, my gelato is the best. I make an entire tub from scratch every morning! I won a prize once for my recipe…").

Mikhail exhaled in relief. "She is fine now. I was hoping that it would have the same effect."

Gilbert's hands could hardly keep from shaking. "Who are you?"

Mikhail briefly glanced at the red eyed man. "My name is Mikhail. You are Aloisa's uncle, no? She is very upset about her dogs."

"Nothing's happened to them! They're probably pigging out in the neighbor's yard—"

"I think you should tell that to her."

Matthew tapped Mikhail's shoulder timidly. "P-perhaps you can tell us what exactly is going on?" He gestured to Francis and Arthur. "Why is Francis and Arthur—"

Mikhail only shrugged and took another sip of his coffee. "We were looking for Evangeline, but it seems like her parents had found her already."

Gilbert pointed incredulously at Francis. "Her _parents_?"

"I believe that they are the ones standing over there."

The Prussian was in a state of confused shock. "How is that even possible—"

"Mr. Beilschmidt!"

Gilbert turned his head dumbly at Alec. "Huh?"

Alec's face was adorn with a grateful smile as he wiggled his fingers in a greeting. "_Merci beaucoup, Monsieur_ Beilschmidt, for looking after my sister! I was afraid she'd have a fit if we didn't find her soon enough!"

"Hey…! You're the girly sounding guy that left a message for Aloisa last time! I remember your voice! Aren't you dating Aloisa?"

Matthew poked Gilbert's forehead roughly. "Gil! What in the world are you saying?"

Alec flushed. "O-of course not! That's silly!"

Gilbert scratched his head. "But I was so sure…Are you lying?"

_Is this guy an idiot? _"No! Why would I lie?"

"Because you spoke to Aloisa quite affectionately last time when you were on the phone."

"I did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too—!"

Mikhail broke in monotonously. "He cannot be dating Aloisa because he is currently dating my brother." Then he left the two to figure it out on their own.

Dear god, could he be any more embarrassed? Alec appeared horrified as he hissed after the teen, "Mikhail!"

"Oh," Gilbert said lamely. So he was wrong about the dating part, but no worries, he's still the most awesome guy around. No doubt about that… "Okay then. What's your name?"

"Alec Bonnefoy," he answered tightly.

Gilbert and Matthew's eyes goggled comically. "You're Francis's kid? Holy shit, no wonder you look so much like him. This is gold, I can't believe this. Did he have sex with some random lady he picked up—"

Alec bristled. "My mother is not some random lady."

Matthew worriedly shook Gilbert's shoulders as a warning. His (fake?) little polar bear was seething and looked ready to bite a chunk of Gilbert's ass. The corners of Gilbert's mouth turned up in amusement. "Really, Alec? Maybe I know her then. What's her name?"

"Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth…Harding? James? Wu—?"

Alec wanted to sock that man silly, but not out of hate or anger. The feeling was more akin to becoming frustrated at a moron for being retarded on purpose. Now he knew why Aloisa had reacted so strongly from the sight of her uncle: it was because he was an idiot. "It's Kirkland."

"Harvey? Thomps—what?" His brows furrowed. "W-what was that?"

"Aloisa~! I found you again!"

Gilbert's mouth popped open like a fish. "Feliciano?"

The nations streamed into the café one by one, even attracting giggling teenage tourists (they obviously thought that they were movie stars or whatnot) who trailed two steps behind them, snapping furiously on mini digital cameras. Feliciano was in the front, surprisingly back in a skirt and high heels, his face made up and looking as perfect as ever.

"I'm sorry I was late, Aloisa! Mama slipped in a puddle and Papa had to go back to the meeting room and get my bag so I can—"

"Alright, Feliciano," Ludwig tiredly said, kneading his temples with two fingers. "Aloisa, you are in a whole web of trouble—_mein Gott_, what are you doing?"

Ludwig stared at his daughter, who was making her way to the pit of her third gelato mountain. Felicita grinned nervously at Aloisa's parents from the booth next to her friend.

"She was a little bit, um, angry when she saw her uncle."

His expression was one of bewilderment. "What do you mean, 'her uncle'? Gilbert is in California with the dogs—"

Ludwig stuttered to a pause when his eyes glanced over Gilbert, who waved sheepishly. Feliciano waved back enthusiastically ("Hi Gilbert! When did you get here?")

"_B-bruder_? What the hell? Why are you—I can't believe you, why did you—"

"Move it, potato! You're contaminating my daughter!"

Ludwig burst out a surprised gasp when Lovino pushed him sideways and crashed him into Matthew. Lovino was panting almost as bad as Katyusha, as if he'd been running for a long time.

Antonio swiftly slid in the booth next to Felicita, somewhat smiling. "What's her name?" He pointed at the blond.

"That's my daughter, Aloisa!" Feliciano exclaimed.

Lovino growled. "How do you know her, Felicita?"

"I went to her house the other day…" Felicita mumbled. "I told you I was going to Elizabeth's house. That was a lie."

Feliciano rattled on: "And she had pasta and she met Gilbert and she played with the dogs and she helped me with the groceries—"

"You didn't tell me that she was going to your house?" Lovino turned on his brother, who started to shake his head frantically, his hands held up defensively.

"I had a feeling that she was your daughter, ve, but Ludwig said that—"

"It's the potato again! It's always the potato! I'm going to tear him apart for real! Let go of me! I don't need your hug therapy!"

"What are you doing here, West?" Gilbert's tone was pitched and panicky. He'd hope to just sneak to D.C. to see Matthew and slip back to California without anyone noticing.

"I should be the one asking that!"

Alec retreated warily, sensing a fight on the brink. As he edged away from a fuming Ludwig, a pair of arms wrapped around him. He turned his face to the ceiling and was met with a small peck on his lips.

"Hey, Alec."

Alec reddened instantly and untangled himself from Adrian. "Is your arm better?"

"No."

Alec whipped around and placed his arm on Adrian's shoulders, a teasing twinkle in his eyes. Adrian was so tall, he had to look up slightly. "Why, want a kiss to make it better?"

"Yes."

Alec's voice broke into lively laughter. "You're such a kid."

"Mmm…" Adrian leaned his head on the blond's shoulder and sighed, the two now locked in a strange yet comforting embrace. His breath was hot on Alec's neck, his eyes closed in satisfaction; Alec smelled like the sky, crisp and new.

From behind them, Arthur wore a baffling gape as he watched his son beam brightly despite how obviously embarrassed he was. He was not sure of what exactly to say. He turned his gaze to Francis, who was also studying his son and that boy.

What surprised him was that Francis seemed to be contemplating something. His hand was placed on his chin and his blue eyes shot straight at Adrian. It was a strategic face, void of any of his usual perverse expressions; it was only used when he had a serious matter on his mind. Arthur didn't see that face unless something was really troubling the Frenchman…

* * *

_4:29, in the White House meeting room…_

Rounding up all the nations again proved to be quite a challenge, for many of them had scattered all over D.C., figuring that since the meeting was apparently over, they could wander around for the time being. Elizaveta was the one that had ran all over the city and calling everyone's cell to alert them to return to the White House.

The ones that were in the café ordered a quick lunch and ate it on the way back. While Arthur and the rest were breaking up fights in the café, Alfred and Ivan (mainly Alfred) were gulping sodas and burgers in a McDonald they'd passed by on the way to Evangeline (needless to say that the two had spent their entire time in that fast food restaurant and were not found until Elizaveta dragged them out).

Aloisa had relaxed considerably when Gilbert hastily approached her and told her about the family pets and the new toys he'd bought for them, but she still glowered at him if he got in her line of sight. They weren't taking any chances, especially with both Aloisa and Ludwig looking at them as if they'd like to punch his lights out, so Gilbert and Matthew had to walk in the far back.

Now they were back in the White House meeting room.

Felicita was astounded at how the room seemed to extend on and on. In fact, it looked three times larger than it did the last time she was in here. One French door was partly open, letting in the warmth of sunlight and fresh air. A lone cloud drifted overhead, just one, but it brought a chilly early-autumn breeze.

Men and women who looked no older than twenty-five took their places around the table and settled in their respective seats. Everyone seemed as if they'd walked out of a teen fashion magazine, but almost all of them were wearing military uniforms that contrasted wildly with their appearance. From afar, Adrian thought he saw Katyusha and Natalia sitting down, both laden with shopping bags. He trailed behind his parents with Alec, who was now too shy to walk too close to Adrian. Alec swore he saw his dad make backward glances at the two of them every once in a while, his looks neither disapproving nor approving, but calculating.

The kids awkwardly sat next to their parents in the chairs provided for them, unsure of what to do. Alec and Evangeline sat across from the Russian brothers, who were flanked by their parents on either side. Felicita raised her eyebrows at her Papa, who was beginning to fall asleep. Aloisa shrugged to herself; her Vati's vein was literally jumping in annoyance. She didn't know whether to laugh or be concerned. Speaking of annoying, where did her _onkel_ go?

"Everyone _shut up_!"

Ludwig's explosive shout quieted everyone immediately. Aloisa was nearly knocked out of her seat by the force of that yell. She didn't know her Vati could be so aggressive and authoritative. Most of the time, her Vati hung around the house with her Mama. Feliciano did not seem to be bothered by the yell though.

Alfred cleared his throat and stood up. "Anyways, I'm going to go first." Arthur rolled his eyes. "After we've been separated for thirteen, excuse me, I mean, _fourteen_ years, it's nice to see that none of you has changed…um, too drastically."

A man in the far back replied back eagerly, "I got kids now, me and Nor!" He bounced a little girl on his lap, who giggled and waved. Their cheeky smiles were exactly the same.

The young man who sat next to the speaker slammed his palm into said speaker's face emotionlessly. The little sailor hat boy on _his _lap watched as if absorbed.

"That's great. And this is what we've come to discuss. For fourteen years, we've decided to live like our citizens when our children were born, but by some insane fate the people who we've been trying to keep secrets from has brought us together. I think we should take this opportunity to explain and apologize." He nudged Mikhail. "Stand up, guys."

The boys did so, and a collective gasp of fangirl rush came from all the ladies; a tingly feeling of fear ran throughout the rest. They were the sons of the two most powerful nations in the world, and their father was Ivan. _Ivan_. As they stood, they could hear the familiar snaps of digital photos being taken. Especially from the where Elizaveta was sitting.

"Uh, my name's Adrian, and this is my brother Mikhail."

The girls tittered and whispered amongst each other, apparently extremely overcome that Ivan's sons were that adorable. Adrian saw three men—no, they were more like high school students, cringe and huddle in a shaky group.

Ludwig stood up along with an irritated Lovino. "This is my daughter—"

"And this is my daughter!" Lovino pushed Ludwig away and pulled Felicita to her feet, who thoughtlessly introduced herself. Aloisa did the same. What the girls thought was really creepy was that this time the guys also smiled suggestively at her. Were there only perverts in this room?

Francis apparently decided that it would be a good time to announce his kids like they were in an awards ceremony. "Ladies!" He blew a kiss in the general direction of the most girl-populated area; the entire bunch squealed in delight. "_C'est merveilleux de vous revoir tous. J'ose dire que vous avez obtenu plus belle, mm?_"

Arthur threw a charcoal something from his plate to the Frenchman's head. "Get to the point, frog!"

"Oh, yes, yes. These are my darlings, Alec and Evangeline. _Allez-y, présentez-vous, très chers_."

Alec and his sister got up hesitantly. "My name is Alec Bonnefoy." Just for kicks, he gave them a smile he normally reserved for only his family and Adrian. It totally worked, for all the women (and some men) melted in a puddle of goo and Adrian glared at him enviously.

Evangeline waved apprehensively. "I'm his sister, Evangeline."

A wave of excited shrieks surged from the ladies, all of them crying out to the siblings, "You look like France!" "Your accent is adorable!" "Alec, are you dating anyone?"

The last question sounded like a guy's voice. No one was going to hit on his Alec when he was in the room! Adrian rose indignantly and answered in that direction, "Well, tough luck! You can't date him because he's with me!"

"Adrian!" Alec squeaked before burying his face into his hands. He wanted to crawl into a hole.

That only fueled the fangirl rage even more. At one point, Elizaveta actually got on the table to rally a picture taking fest and a man with glasses had to drag her down. Aloisa could see that vein on her Vati's forehead throb again. Not good, not good, she did not want her mind to be blown to pieces again.

"Everyone _shut up_!" she screamed, then covered her mouth. Holy cow, she sounded like her Vati.

They did as she told them to, astonished. It was Aloisa's turn to feel to need to crawl into a hole and die; what an embarrassment she must be to her parents! Kiku clapped and broke the silence for the sake of the poor girl.

"We are done with that part. You have all met my daughter, Yukiko." The kimono-clad girl sat and waved to the crowd rather than standing up, for she was taller sitting than standing. "And we have been acquainted with Køhler-san's children, Eirik and Annelise, and Oxenstierna-san's daughter, Hanna. It is now the time for our introductions."

_What introductions? We all know who our parents are…except now we know they're guys…does he mean the rest of the people in the room?_

Alfred stood solemnly and took out a piece of paper from his file. He was completely serious as he rattled off country names like he was taking roll. Adrian and Mikhail turned their heads abruptly at their mom to check if he might be joking. With each nation said, a voice replied and Alfred marked something on his paper.

"Russian Federation."

"I am here," answered Ivan.

"Germany."

"Present."

"North Italy."

"Here, ve~!"

Aloisa stared at her parents. Why did they answer to the call? They were not—

"Spain. Spain…?"

Lovino huffed. "The bastard is here. He's just asleep."

"Okay, then I'll mark South Italy down as present, too…Ig—uh, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland." He strained a little and bit his lip.

Arthur felt a stab of pride hit him in the chest when Alfred refrained from saying his nickname. "Here."

"France."

"Here, _mon cher_."

"Then we are finished. Everyone is here." Alfred paused deliberately. "My name is the United States of America, and I will be hosting the World Summit this year."

Evangeline tugged on her mother's sleeve. "W-what do you mean you are the United Kingdom? People can't be—this is a joke, right?"

"It's not a joke, Evangeline."

"W-what—?"

Arthur returned his attention to Alfred, whom he knew was making up his speech as he went along, but he was doing a pretty good job of it. "We are not human, and we were never human. Most of the people in this room are over a century old. As I've stated before, we had to live as regular people as to not arouse suspicion, but before we secluded ourselves we made a promise to never let our kids know _until _they are in high school. We haven't broken that promise yet, though it didn't turn out the way we planned for it to turn out."

He stopped for the information to sink it. The stunned children didn't dare to move as their parents got up and bent their heads in an apology. "For that we are sorry, but now that you know, you have to make a choice."

Felicita was completely flustered. "Please don't apologize, Mama. I should be the one who's sorry for following you and Papa across the country."

When Lovino didn't raise his head, Felicita went forth and hugged her Mama. "It's my fault that you couldn't see your brother for so long. I'm really sorry, please don't be angry."

It was a bashful whisper, only for Felicita: "…I am not angry, _bambina_. Who said I'm angry?" He didn't sound regretful at all.

"We need you to make a choice. You have to choose either to stay human or join us," Alfred said. He nodded at Ivan.

"J-join you?" Alec asked.

Alfred tossed a sideways glance to Kiku. "To become human means you will live and die a normal mortal, but that also means we will have to see you go. You can become one of our cities or counties or even states, and you will take on all of its government duties and the entirety of its history, just like Yukiko had. Your life will depend on a token representing your governed area, and as long as there are people willing to call themselves your citizens, you will live on."

Aloisa spoke up: "But how is that possible?"

"As nations we have lived for centuries, and there are things that even we cannot figure out over time. Perhaps we shall understand one day, but for now, we have accepted it as an option." Arthur's eyes grew downcast. "The choice is yours. We can't force you to become something you don't want."

"Excuse me for a minute, Mr. Kirkland," Aloisa said.

"Take your time."

The nations began to move out of their seats and converse in hushed tone with each other. Feliciano and Ludwig tensely watched their daughter go to the end of the room, next to the open French door, with the other teens. The lone cloud was still there, but Adrian could see another one moving towards it rather quickly.

Yukiko gripped her mother's hand. "Okaasan, they will make the right choice, won't they?"

Kiku did not spare the teens a second glance. "Whatever they choose will be the right choice for them."

"What do we do now?" Felicita asked. She could feel fifty pairs of curious eyes on their backs, though no one approached them.

Evangeline suggested, "We need to discuss this over and consider all the pros and cons—"

"No."

"But my Mum said to take our time—"

"He didn't mean it that literally, okay?" Aloisa loosened her ponytail, agitated. "Give me a moment."

"What do you suppose we do, Adrian?"

Adrian had wrapped his arm around Alec's waist again. "I know what I'm going to do. You and I are going to join our parents. I'm not letting go of you."

Alec's face flared up and Mikhail blanched. "Aloisa, what should we do? Should we become one of them?"

And slowly, Aloisa shook her head.


	20. Chapter 20

****

A/N: Thanks for the favs/alerts/reviews! Forgive me for leaving the last chapter there. oTL

**Extra long chapter because I am so motivated after reading your reviews (you guys are all such sweethearts~). 8D Anyways, I've cut it off again, but this time it was done on purpose. ;;**

**Warning: Adrian/Alec before-after scene, Angelina, and a reallfy, really, **_**really**_** long chapter (the longest one yet, insane amount of pages on Word). **

**All sp/gram errors and Document Manager linked words will be corrected after it has been published. I apologize for character OOC-ness, if the paragraph spacing seems weird, or if there are any plot holes. I swear I will fix those later, but my brain is sorta fried right now(even though I'm typing up chapter 21. I'm such a hypocrite. LOL) ^u^;; Thank you!**

**SEQUEL NEWS: Painting the Past will be slightly darker than Connecting the Dots, but not by a lot. Scene sequence is currently being revised. For original info on sequel, see my profile~f**

Alec, pays que je suis, et j'ai vu des centaines d'années d'amour et de trahison. [French]—Alec, I'm a country, and I've seen hundreds of years of love and betrayal.  
Je laisse l'incident avec Stanton aller parce que je ne veux pas que vous allez revivre cela. Je n'ai pas vu une partie de cette Adrian qui me fait penser qu'il est différent de vos connaissances passées. Donc, à moins qu'il puisse faire ses preuves, nous nous dirigeons vers l'Angleterre. Votre choix. [French]—I let the incident with Stanton go because I didn't want you to go through that again. I have not seen any part of this Adrian that makes me think that he is any different from your past acquaintances. So unless he can prove himself, we are moving to England. Your choice.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or SpongeBob (LOLWUT).**

"What?"

Felicita gently tugged Aloisa's arm. "You don't want to?"

Aloisa only sighed. "It's not that. I think it'd be great if we became this super almighty city being or whatever, but I really don't want to turn out like Yukiko."

Alec noticed his dad watching him from afar, so he brusquely squirmed out of Adrian's hold. "That's enough, Adrian." It came out harsher than he had meant it to be.

Adrian let go, if not reluctantly and a little bit hurt. "Sorry."

"But Aloisa, what is the matter with being like Yukiko?" Evangeline asked.

Aloisa shook her head slightly. "No, I didn't mean that. There's nothing wrong with Yukiko. She might as well be the sweetest and most knowledgeable kid on earth, but…but she traded her entire childhood for immortality. She knows a lot of history, maybe too much, but outside she tries to regain her original 5-year-old childishness by acting. Is that a fair bargain?"

Mikhail shrugged. "Sure it is. We got nothing better to do in high school anyways."

"That's true," Aloisa said, "I think…I think I would like to become a city someday. But not now. I want to finish high school first and live my life normally for just a while longer. I want to fall in love…and I want to be with my friends." She gave a small laugh. "It might not make sense to you guys, but I want to actually be a bratty teenager than someone who has to act like a bratty teenager."

Alec nodded. "No, I do understand. I'm going with Aloisa's plan. It's not like there's a deadline or something. And Adrian and I are only in our sophomore year. I'd like to continue being a high school couple until high school really ends." He beamed at Adrian but did not return to him.

Adrian bit his lip. "Okay, Alec."

"Well, that's my decision. You guys can become cities if you want to right now." She spoke briefly, and Felicita realized how sad she'd become if all her friends left her for something as petty as immortality.

"I'll go with Aloisa's choice, too. I don't think I want to look like this for the rest of my life," she said, grinning at her friend. Aloisa saved her once before, now it was her turn.

Aloisa brightened instantly. She shifted her gaze to Mikhail and Evangeline. They exhaled, but it was in the sort of good-natured exasperation one would expect from an old friend. "Alright, Aloisa," they said. "Let's go with that."

The six teens turned around to give the adults their answer, but while they were in their little bubble, some nations had begun to fight with each other. Adrian saw his dad spinning The Pipe and frightening those three high-school-student-lookalike men. Arthur was trying to cram a blackened scone in Alfred's mouth ("Eat it, you jerk! It's better than your cooking!" "Mmmph th's a lie'mmf!") For some reason, Ludwig was carrying Feliciano on his shoulders, the latter waving a giant white flag earnestly. And Francis…was being Francis. Which meant he was nearly naked and offering roses to all the girls who'd take them. The little kids, Hanna, Peter, Annelise, and Eirik, were chasing each other around the room, and _their_ parents were trying (and failing) to catch them.

The teens didn't know whether to join in the pandemonium and scream like they were at a club or to silently sneak out of this zoo. They were about to go with the second option until Aloisa decided to shriek her lungs out like Angelina.

"_Shut! Up! Already!_"

That did the trick. Her Vati was staring at her incredulously, like he couldn't believe how loud his daughter could yell or something. Everyone quietly returned to their seats, waiting for the kids to give a reply. The five other teens nudged Aloisa forward and urged her to talk.

Aloisa cleared her throat. "What we have decided is—"

The meeting room doors hurled open. "BEER! Sir Gilbert the Awesome bears beer from a distant magical liquor store! Kesese...se..seh...uh..."

In came Gilbert with seven packs of beer (which he held in his arms), and shopping bags that one could only assume was more beer. His ecstatic eyes were lidded in happiness, but he opened them when he noticed no one else was cheering. Instead, he saw fifty people raise their eyebrows and Aloisa glaring rabidly at him.

"…is this a bad time? Heheh...I can always come back later, but you got to admit that my entrance was pretty awesome, right? Get it? 'Sir Gilbert'? Like back in the Teutonic Knight era…? West, I got five packs of your favorite brand…! But I got four more for myself because I'm so kickass awesome, haha! Haha…!"

No one said anything.

Then Felicita held up a hand and cried, "Wait a minute, Aloisa! No, don't—!"

* * *

_6:43 P.M., White House front lawn…_

The teens did get their decision through to the nations in the end, but not before Aloisa tore chunks of Gilbert's hair out (Ludwig had to save Gilbert later). Apparently, her earlier frustration had not diminished; it was secretly building up inside and waiting to erupt at a given opportunity. So yes, it was completely Gilbert's fault for walking in. The good thing was that now that Aloisa's anger had burned out, she was back to her normal self. Or so the teens hoped.

The nations understood their choice and promised to save their roles as cities until they became legal adults. Of course, Alfred whined and Feliciano whined and Antonio whined (he woke up when he heard Gilbert announce himself) and various other countries whined about delaying the addition of several super cute cities, but that was to be expected from such dysfunctional members of the meeting.

The topic about the kids was very abrupt. When the choice had been made, the nations quickly switched to the topic of global warming and safer cars. They didn't allow the kids to leave without supervision, so Yukiko offered to accompany them to wherever the teens wanted to go. Since Kiku could always tell where Yukiko was, they eventually agreed to let Yukiko chaperone the teens. The system seemed sort of upside-down to Felicita, but she didn't question it.

They loitered on the White House lawn while their parents continued with their meeting; it was close to seven, but their parents did not walk out of the building. Yukiko said that they would take longer, what with this being their first meeting in several years.

The kids' purpose was now really finished; there was nothing more to discover. The sun was setting in the horizon, turning the clouds an orangish-red. Mikhail and the girls were asking Yukiko all sorts of questions in their corner. They'd gone back to the café and bought sandwiches and soup for a sort of picnic-dinner. Adrian was lying on the grass with Alec sitting next to him, his legs extended. The others had left them to their own devices when they started to eat.

"What day is today, Adrian?" Alec asked. His fedora rested on his thighs. The lawn was close to empty; tourist groups had packed up and were ready to leave.

Adrian gazed up into the sky steadily. There seemed to be more clouds now, dark and heavy, carrying with them a sense of foreboding. Adrian was almost sure that there had been only a wisp of a cloud this afternoon. "Wednesday."

"When did we get on that plane?"

"Sunday."

A stale wind blew Alec's bangs sideways, bringing the clouds closer. They casted a shadow overhead, signaling the beginning of dusk. "Do you…do you suppose that you would've found me if we didn't go on this trip?" His voice was quiet.

Adrian blinked at his lover, perplexed. "What do you mean?"

Alec gathered his knees to his chest and laid his chin on them. His eyes stared off in the distance where two black Mercedes-Benz and a sleek limo were parked. The men from the sedan and the chauffer from the limo were getting out. _That's weird. I thought that cars weren't supposed to park along the White House sidewalk._ "Would you have loved me?"

Adrian didn't reply immediately. In the beginning, he was excruciatingly tired of Alec's personality and how he picked up girls so casually and the way he talked. But that was before he knew the real reason for Alec's original behavior…He liked how carefree Alec was, and he found that little French accent to be endearing (he found out that Alec's heavy French accent was done on purpose before; there was nothing wrong with his English). What should he say? Should he be honest? or should he tell him the truth?

"I-I—"

"Adrian."

He startled. "What?"

The blond squinted. "Are those men running towards us?"

"What men—ack!"

"You!" The policeman had dashed over and forcibly pulled Adrian up and started to cuff him.

"You're under arrest for two accounts of assault causing bodily harm to Angelina Allred and Thomas Allred!" The speaker was a gruff, tall guy. He had on his sunglasses and towered over the Alec. Two more policemen were coming from behind. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have—"

Alec got up, furious. "Hey! What do you think you're doing—"

The second cop pushed Alec back down roughly. "Silence! Anything you say can and will—"

Yukiko glided over with the rest of the teens, undaunted. "What's going on here?"

The policeman stopped, apparently quite stunned that a five-year-old was interrupting his arrest speech. "Get lost, kid, this is a—"

"That's them!" someone screamed shrilly. "The blond girl was in on it, too! They were all part of it!"

And in strutted Angelina Allred in her mini-skirted glory, followed by her father, looking very official and stern in his suit and tie. The demoness herself was decked out in a tight-fitting hot pink skirt with red high heels that she wobbled on in the grass. Her sandy blond locks were curled and her face was heavily applied with thick makeup, as if she'd dressed up like a whore just for the occasion.

The third policeman glanced at Thomas Allred for further directions. When he nodded, the man grabbed Aloisa and cuffed her, too.

Evangeline thought it was taking things too far, calling in the cops, but this was Angelina, and who knows what sorts of trouble she could stir up. Mikhail didn't move; he needed Aloisa to give an order before he did anything or else it'll turn out like last time when they were shopping. He'd gone to the restroom without her permission and she started to scream at him in panic. He knew that she meant well, but Aloisa could yell really loud. And the last thing they needed was for Aloisa to scream bloody murder at the cops.

"This is what you get," her father said. He leaned in close to Aloisa's ear. "I remember that I've told you before about what would happen to you for hurting my daughter."

Aloisa spat in Thomas's face before he straightened. "Trying to act all intimidating, huh?" she growled. "You weren't so scary when you ran away last time."

The man holding her allowed Thomas to slap her, and Aloisa coughed in pain. He hit a whole lot harder than Angelina. Instantly, the teens knew that these weren't policemen; they were only terrorizing them in the beginning when they talked about the arrest. More like they were the Allred's bodyguards.

What Felicita did then very much confused her when she pondered about it afterwards. She thought she must've been delirious and she really could've gotten legally arrested for real bodily harm, but for now, she jumped on Angelina and raked her left cheek with her nails.

"_Ahhh_! Get this bitch off me! Take her away—_eek! Let go let go let go let go—!_"

The last part was because Felicita was pulling on a particular curly strand of hair. God, this actually felt pretty good, no wonder Angelina liked to bully people. She grabbed another fistful of hair and wrenched fiercely, evoking yet another ear-splitting cry.

The guard that had shoved Alec down was now kneeling and peering interestingly into the boy's face. "You're kind of cute, aren't you? If you stay quiet and be good, maybe I'll—"

Alec's eyes widened in disgust and attempted to smack the man, but he caught Alec's wrist before his hand made contact with his face. "Let go of me, pervert!"

"One kiss."

"No!"

Adrian writhed from where he was held captive. "Get away from Alec, you sick bastard—_hah_!" The one who was holding on to Adrian tightened his arm around his neck, making Adrian choke.

The man smirked at Alec and brought him closer. "Pretty name you got there, Alec." Oh god, Alec's legs felt numb, he couldn't force himself to stand up. This was like the Ethan Cole incident all over again, except his mom was not here to save him this time.

Mikhail brought his leg down on the man's neck hard, but only enough to knock him unconscious. He pulled Alec to his feet and hurried away from the fallen guard.

Meanwhile, Angelina's father was having a difficult time lugging Felicita off Angelina. Felicita viciously kicked him and Thomas dropped her in agony to nurse his wounded shin. She was filled with adrenaline, instantly swift and agile and quick to strike. Evangeline had restrain Felicita before she pounced on the fake policemen.

Angelina scrambled up, holding her left cheek where Felicita had scratched. "You bitch! Daddy! Did you see what she just did? She was going to rip my face—"

"I hope that hurt, biotch!" Felicita struggled against Evangeline's unexpected iron-like hold. Never had she been this aggressive before, no matter how nasty Angelina got. Aloisa and Adrian watched Felicita, both impressed and fearing for their friend. "Let me go! They can't take them! Your not even legitimate cops! They—"

Felicita gasped. What the—The bodyguards had relinquished their hold on Aloisa and Adrian, letting the two crumple to the ground. They were both taking shallow breaths, not daring to move a muscle. Then a glint of metal reflected from one man's collarbone revealed why they'd suddenly released the teens.

A slender arm from behind hooked around the first man's neck and cupped his chin, lifting it up to expose more flesh. "What were you doing to my nephew?" the voice rasped. The knife pressed dangerously against skin.

The second bodyguard slowly got down on the ground, revealing a livid Vash pressing his rifle to the back of his neck. Once Angelina and her father saw Vash, they fell back on the grass in shock. Aloisa doggedly crawled away, her cheek stinging. Alec and Mikhail scurried to where Adrian laid and towed him out of Vash's maiming zone.

Adrian screwed up his eyes, straining to see. "Aunt Natalia?"

With one fluid motion, Natalia flipped the man on his back and straddled him. The pose would've been very alluring if it hadn't been so terrifying. "Maybe I should cut off your ears and nose. Or did you have something else in mind…?"

She stabbed the knife through the man's hair and into the grass. The guy yelped when he felt the cool metal press against the side of his head. Natalia flipped her hair back. "I think I'll be lenient today," she mused. She trailed her fingers along the man's arm and tenderly placed her palms on his hand.

And she crunched it with her bare hand.

If Adrian's mind was foggy before, he was completely awake now. He didn't think he would ever forget that sound and the man's screaming. And the image of his mutilated fingers. And how the blood was running down Natalia's arm and staining the man's shirt with big fat blotches of red—

"Adrian! Mikhail! Are you okay?"

He twisted his head away from the gruesome sight. "Mom?"

Alfred and the rest of their parents were running across the lawn, their faces frantic. "We just finished the meeting and everyone had left! What happened here—oh dear god, Belarus, what are you doing…?"

Natalia barely looked up. "He was suffocating Adrian."

Pause. Then, "_Let me at him, Belarus! Give me your pipe, Ivan, I'll teach the bastard a lesson_—"

"Not this time, Alfred." Ivafn literally had to throw his entire weight on the American to keep him from smashing the guard to death. "We do not want to kill anyone, da? It will be very messy for your boss to clean up afterwards."

Vash slammed the butt of his rifle on the second man's spine and stilled him. He whipped around to face Angelina and Thomas, scowling. "It's you two again! Forget it, the others can deal with you. Lili is waiting for me." He clumped away looking pretty peeved, but he flung the heavy end of his rifle on the unconscious bodyguard again to prove that he was still pissed at the two, even if he didn't kill them this time. Angelina and her father cringed and squealed like pigs.

"_Bambina_, _mio Dio_, what happened to your face?"

Feliciano rushed to his daughter in a flurry, fluttering around her the way a mother bird would to her chicks. "Oh, baby, who did this?"

Aloisa didn't want to appear weak in front of Angelina, so she brushed it off. "I'm fine, Mama. I'll just put some ice on it later."

From behind, Ludwig was bristling with unseen wrath at the sight of his daughter's flaming cheek. He was not taking that as an answer. "Tell me," he uttered, low and full of venom.

Uh-oh, that was the scary voice, the equivalent to his shouting voice. "That man over there," she admitted finally. "Angelina and her father."

Then Aloisa watched her Vati lift Angelina's father with one hand on his throat. Thomas gagged and picked at Ludwig's hand, but Ludwig did the impossible and tightened his hold. His eyes were clouded in feral anger, primal and prone to kill.

The Italian stood up. "That's enough, Ludwig."

He didn't stop. Angelina shrieked, as clear and deafening as a bell.

Feliciano's big brown eyes hardened and he grasped his husband's wrist. "I said that's enough, Germany!"

As if jarred back to reality, his grip slackened and Angelina's father fell to the ground in a heap, hacking for air and massaging his neck tenderly. Ludwig stared at his hand and breathed heavily.

Meanwhile, Antonio and Lovino were clucking over Felicita and clamouring out very colourful vocabulary to Angelina (that part was most likely all Lovino's doing). She didn't regret marring Angelina's face. The three neat claw marks on her face were turning a vibrant pink, almost as bad as Aloisa. Almost.

Francis paid no attention to Adrian as he helped Alec up. There seemed to be a barrier between them; not an unfriendly one, just distant. Arthur tapped Alfred's shoulder and gestured at Angelina.

"It's the girl from last time," he said.

Alfred's expression became one of recognition. "I got this one. He's just in time, too."

Alfred strode to where Thomas Allred was kneeling. _I'll just play around with him for a while…_ "Who are you? You have no right to be here. The lawn's off limits around this time."

Injured or not, Angelina's father still had a measly bit of pride left in him. "I'm the superintendent of California's school districts, so I have every right to be here, punk. Anyway, this is none of your business."

Angelina felt the need to add in her own two cents. "You can't tell us what to do, loser!"

The American huffed. He hoped it was just the cold making him shiver and not Ivan's creepy aura back there. "You name, Mister…?"

"Allred," Thomas sneered. "I'm surprised you haven't heard of me. Actually, no, I'm not, a stupid kid like you wouldn't know much about the world."

Alfred's eye twitched in irritation. He could feel Ivan-aura-arrows poking the back of his bomber jacket. "Mr. Allred, of course I've heard about you, you're the headline news on every major newspaper. Now tell me, Mr. Allred, do you know who I am?"

Thomas rose along with his daughter. "I think you are out past your curfew, young man. You better go home before I call your mother."

Arthur was so close to bursting into hysterical laughter. Alfred smacked his lips, annoyed. "Well, in that case, Mr. Allred, you are hereby officially dismissed from your position as California's school districts' superintendent." He reached into his back pocket and took out a crumpled piece of paper which he handed to the stuttering man. "My boss informed me that the meeting you attended yesterday did not turn out so hot due to certain things a 'Thomas Allred' had said. He was going to can you for doing such a poor job managing California's education board, so I'm actually doing a favour for him."

Alfred exhaled, relishing how Thomas's face was turning purple and red with fury. "Anyways, this is it, signed by the president and forty nine other superintendents who thought that you sucked big time."

Angelina's father sputtered, his face about to explode. "You can't fire me! This is a fake document! You're a nineteen year old brat, I could have you arrested for—"

Alfred brutally yanked on the man's necktie and burned a piercing glare into his eyes. "Look here, _punk_, I'm only following my boss's order. And don't you dare call me a brat, because you are over two hundred years too early to even label me a kid." He paused to take a breath. "If you don't believe me, you can call the President and tell him that Alfred F. Jones has fired you."

"W-what do you mean—?"

Arthur composed himself and hollered at Alfred, "America, the cabs are here."

"Thank you, England. Now then, Mr. Allred." Alfred tucked Thomas's tie back in and patted his shirt. "I don't suppose we'll see each other again anytime soon."

Thomas fumbled over his next words. "W-wha—America? Who _are_ you?"

The teens' parents ushered their kids to follow Arthur into the taxis. Alfred lingered around for a second. "It must be horrible knowing that you'd just hurt Germany's daughter. You were lucky that Italy even thought about saving you."

Thomas and Angelina appeared mortified. "_Germany_? _Italy_? What do you mean by Germany's—"

"Oh, and by the way, if you ever touch my sons again, I will personally make sure that Russia shatters your arm. Good-bye! Belarus, I'll see you at the next meeting." He stepped over the body of the first guard and sauntered over to the waiting cars.

Natalia looked up at Alfred and slowly inclined her head in a farewell. She'd been so absorbed in hurting the man (who'd passed out after a minute) she forgot to greet her Big Brother properly. But that's okay, they were allowed to see each other again. She could visit him and terrorize America and spoil her nephews anytime starting today.

Natalia's hands were sticky and warm; she'd overdone it this time. Humans were so fragile. Lithuania never noticed, and he didn't bleed like this guy. It was certainly a pity that most of their major wounds did not heal by themselves.

"B-belarus?" Thomas whispered, staring at the woman in morbid fear. Natalia's hair was frayed and there was a droplet of blood on her cheek.

Natalia cocked her head in the man's direction, her eyes glazed. The man and his daughter were about to yell, she could sense it. She picked up the guard's arm with two fingers as if lifting a puppet and displayed her handiwork. Then she snapped his index finger backwards and grinned maniacally at the screaming humans.

* * *

_9:3__7 P.M., Ritz-Carlton… _

Adrian stood outside his hotel room, fumbling in his pocket for his room key. Felicita had left with her parents to their room (which was only a few doors down) and Aloisa was led by Feliciano and Ludwig to another room, the two fussing over her the whole time. The injury didn't look too bad. The burning red mark was now a faint pink; Aloisa acted nonchalantly about it as she pressed an ice pack against her face, but he knew that it must still hurt. Thomas had used his entire strength when he swiped across her face.

Francis insisted that Elizaveta and Alec follow him to their suite. Alec had protested many times, but Francis seemed intent on it. Arthur gave an apologetic smile to Adrian as he retired to his room, guiding Alec inside first. Francis threw Adrian a long, neutral expression before locking the door.

Before the Braginski family had gone downstairs to eat (Alfred said that he was starving), Alfred had changed back into his Allie-mode, which meant that he had on a black cocktail dress and silver earrings. In other words, he went overboard with the outfit again. The other patrons couldn't help but stare admiringly at Alfred when they arrived. Adrian had to admit, he was more comfortable around his mother when he actually looked like a girl. _Maybe it'll just take some time to adjust to it…_

Then his parents had asked if he and Mikhail if wanted to bunk in with them, but they both shook their heads. Some motherly instinct overtook Alfred and he started pinching Mikhail's cheeks and cooing to him.

"You think you're a big boy now, hmm? Well, you're still mommy's little—"

Mikhail gently removed his mother's hands from his face. "I am in high school, мама."

"Of course you are. Don't stay up too late! And Adrian," Alfred added, "forgive Arthur for being a sourpuss, alright? He can get sort of protective around his children, but I'm sure he'll get over it in time."

Adrian replied simply. "Okay," he said. But he didn't think it was Arthur that was becoming extremely watchful of Alec…

Ivan came forth and whispered fearfully to Adrian, "Do not ever open the door if someone knocks at midnight. If they start scratching the door and sobbing, stay far away—"

"Ivan, don't scare them!"

"I am not. It is merely a precaution. If you require any sort of weaponry—"

Alfred snatched the pipe away. "Don't give him your pipe! You don't want him to kill Natalia. Besides, she won't come for him…I think."

They murmured their good nights and watched the figures of Alfred and Ivan recede down the hallway. Alfred's voice (or rather, _Allie's _voice) echoed throughout the hall, blabbing on about hamburgers and comic book heroes, while Ivan answered him in quiet Russian.

Mikhail swung open the 435 door. "Good night, brother. I guess we are on our own tonight."

Adrian chuckled darkly. "I guess so. Good night."

He stayed around a bit to see his brother disappear into his room. What bullshit. Mikhail must be happy that the girls had cleared out and left this gigantic room all for him. He'd most likely waste away the night hacking Starcraft and developing new cheat codes. Adrian twisted the doorknob and entered by himself into Room 434.

It felt weird without Alec. Normally he'd be chattering on and on as they went in. The place felt too big for him, and there was a draft blowing in. He thought Alec had shut all the windows before they left, but the balcony drapes were blowing awry. It was dark and cool outside, the whole city covered by rainclouds. Adrian quickly shut the windows, heeding to his dad's warning. But Aunt Natalia wouldn't climb up the building and come in _that_ way…would she?

The more he thought about it, the higher that possibility seemed to rise. He took his shower to clear his head and returned to flop on his ridiculously large mattress that he and Alec shared. Adrian flipped the TV on and out crackled the shapes of SpongeBob and Patrick. He groaned. Okay, this was the worst. His Alec was off in some distant land and he was stuck here watching Nickelodeon.

SpongeBob kept running for another three hours, but Adrian had dozed off after the first fifteen minutes.

* * *

_12:__43 A.M., Room 434…_

The wind howled and banged against the glass panes and Adrian woke up with a start. He groggily made his way to the balcony, but he hesitated before pulling the draperies open. What if it wasn't the wind? What if it was just like his dad said and Aunt Natalia was standing out there with her blood caked fingernails—oh, no. He mentally scolded himself for being so paranoid, but it was really freaky being alone in the suite.

The clock pointed twelve forty-three. The TV said, "Squidward, we don't need television, as long as we have our…_imagination_!" The door knocked. He could hear the lamp fizz with electricity, or whatever that sound was—

Wait, go back, go back. The door knocked again. Adrian suppressed a yelp. The TV shouted, "With imagination, I can be anything that I want!"

Oh, for the love of god. Adrian turned the television off. Even imagination couldn't save him from imagining that Aunt Natalia was going to murder him if he opened the door and chop him into several little pieces…

_Man up, Adrian, man up. Just open the door a __tiny bit and shut it if it's anyone weird. Maybe it's only Mikhail or even Alec…_

He snuck up to the door and slowly cracked the door open. No sound from the other side. He flung the door fully open and braced himself for any impact.

The body hit the front of his shirt with a soft thud and Adrian nearly screamed like Angelina. Then he realized that the person was alive and breathing, and that it wasn't Aunt Natalia. It was Alec.

Oh, thank god, imagination _did_ work. SpongeBob was a genius! But Alec was still resting his head on Adrian's chest. He didn't look up.

Adrian shook him slightly, recovering from his initial fear. "What's the matter? Why are you up at this time? …Alec?"

Alec raised his face and kissed Adrian full on the mouth. Adrian startled and stepped backwards, letting Alec shut the door with a click. He gripped Adrian's shoulders and the two toppled on the bed, Alec straddling Adrian.

"What's going on? What happened, Alec?" It was nice having your boyfriend jump you in the middle of the night, but Adrian knew that Alec wouldn't do something like this without a reason. He sat up and steadied Alec.

Alec unbuttoned his flannel shirt and pressed his chest on Adrian. He was flushed, and perhaps really embarrassed, but he was shivering as he tried to ignore that. "I-I…" He seemed to be choosing his words. "Just…just one more time…"

He rolled on his back and brought Adrian on top on him. _Man, he looks so goddamn hot._ Alec's hair was splashed in all directions on the sheets, his chest rising up and down with each shuddering breath. He reached for Adrian's neck and pulled him in, gasping, very faintly but with a considerable amount of assurance, "Love. Me."

And Adrian complied with no further questions.

* * *

_Thursday morning, 5:12 A.M., Room 434…_

Alec slipped off the mattress daintily as to not rouse Adrian. It was sprinkling lightly outside, the pitter-patter of rain hitting the windows almost soundlessly. He was really the worst, going to his boyfriend and having sex with him right after his dad proclaimed that they were moving back to England tomorrow. He was quite surprised when Francis blabbered on about his past relationships (truthfully, even Arthur was shocked when Francis had made the decision to move back to England so soon). He thought he'd kept it hidden very nicely, but in reality, Francis knew everything.

"_Did you think that I had no idea about your James Stanton? And what happened in the end with him?"_

_Alec cried, "He was a mistake! I didn't know—"_

"_Then how can I be sure that Adrian is not another mistake? How can _you_? __Alec, _pays que je suis, et j'ai vu des centaines d'années d'amour et de trahison_—"_

"_Well, you haven't even met Adrian properly yet, so you can't just assume—"_

_Francis had actually yelled at him. "_Je laisse l'incident avec Stanton aller parce que je ne veux pas que vous allez revivre cela. Je n'ai pas vu une partie de cette Adrian qui me fait penser qu'il est différent de vos connaissances passées. Donc, à moins qu'il puisse faire ses preuves, nous nous dirigeons vers l'Angleterre. Votre choix._"_

_Arthur calmed Francis down after that, sadly eyeing his son. "I'm imagine the lad knows what he's doing…"_

_The reply was imminent. "…I do not want to see him hurt again, Angleterre." _

Evangeline and his mother had tried to put in a few good words for Adrian, yet Francis remained unconvinced. Alec had planned to talk to Adrian and tell him everything, but then the whole thing would be staged and it wouldn't seem natural. Francis would definitely be able to tell the difference. He understood that Adrian wholeheartedly loved him, but it would be asking too much of him.

Alec was about to inform Adrian on the situation right in the beginning, but he'd instead made it worse. He was stupid and selfish; selfish to command Adrian to love him so that he could leave with a bitter memory, and stupid to believe that Adrian would forgive him for doing so. _I'm such a coward…_

He watched the sleeping figure of Adrian for a while. Last night…last night he'd started to cry silently. He didn't remember when the tears began to fall, but Adrian didn't ask what was wrong, only wordlessly wiped them away. Alec's vision had blurred even more as Adrian hungrily claimed his mouth. Adrian was so kind to him it was unbearable...

An old question tugged at the end of his mind. From long ago, he wondered if him leaving would affect Adrian. He still didn't know yet. He didn't know if he'd ever find out. He was thinking about this the whole time Adrian held him, and he'd finally made up his mind early morning: Adrian deserved someone who'd never hurt him on purpose. In other words, not a person like Alec.

The blond shrugged his button up shirt on and dressed himself. He knelt by the bed and barely pressed his forehead to Adrian's, his breath brushing against his face ever so slightly_. 'Just one more time'_, he told himself. _I'm so sorry._

There was a note on the bedside table. It contained five words full of heartache and longing.

* * *

_Thursday morning, 9:21 A.M., Room 434…_

The continuous beating of heavy raindrops against glass gradually woke Adrian. God, he was sure that he was one of the luckiest guys in the world. Last night had been crazy and even better than the time before. Said luckiest guy in the world groped for Alec, who would be curled up next to him, but he found nothing.

Adrian instantly got down and turned on the lamp. Alec was nowhere to be seen. He rummaged his hair, wondering if something had happened, like if Alec had gotten kidnapped by Aunt Natalia—oh dear god, please don't let that be true.

The wind from the rustling of the sheets sent the bedside note drifting down. It landed fragilely, almost like a feather, by Adrian's feet. He absently picked it up and his eyes widened. In blue ink were the scribbled out words, _Thank you for finding me. _

The door suddenly banged three times, terse and urgent. "Open up, Adrian!" came the muffled shout.

Adrian threw on his coat and answered the call, the paper still in his hands. It was positively freezing outside. The weather had completely turned overnight, as if to mock him.

"Good morning, Aloisa."

The girl fidgeted uncertainly. Her wound was less swollen and not as severe as yesterday. "Did you…you heard, right?"

"Heard what?"

Aloisa's mouth dropped. "Alec didn't tell you?"

He clenched his fist, crumpling the note in his hand. "Tell me what?"

"Evangeline just phoned me five minutes ago. She and her family are moving back to London. They're headed for the airport right now." She sighed. "Poor Alec, Evangeline said he was devastated. No wonder he couldn't bring himself to tell you."

Adrian stuffed the hotel stationary deep into his jacket pocket and shuffled into his shoes. "When did they leave?"

Aloisa moved out of the way and followed Adrian down the hallway to the elevators. The boy smashed the 'down' button and tapped his feet impatiently. "About fifteen minutes ago, I think. Their flight leaves at ten thirty. B-but wait! What are you doing?"

The elevator doors creaked open and Adrian briskly walked in. Aloisa held a hand to stop the doors from closing. "You'll catch your death wearing your pajamas out in this weather! Are you going to go after Alec?"

He mildly removed Aloisa's restraining hand and held the doors by himself. "Do me a favour, Aloisa, please cover for me. Tell my parents I went to McDonalds or something to pick up breakfast."

"It's raining too hard out there, you can't even see your way. Oh man, Adrian, don't do anything rash—"

Adrian shushed her. "I might not know what I'm doing and I might as well be doing this for nothing, but I'm sure as hell going to take my chances and follow him." He glanced at his watch and then to Aloisa, who appeared equally distraught.

"Adrian—"

"I can't lose him, okay? I've already lost him twice to Ethan Cole and James Stanton. I'm not letting that happen again."

He withdrew his hand and let the doors slide shut, his eyes flashing defiantly. Aloisa stood, stunned. The elevator bells chimed lightly with each floor it descended.

"Oh my god," she muttered. Aloisa laid one hand on her left cheek which had begun to sting like a toothache. "Please don't do anything stupid, Adrian…"


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Thanks for all the review/alerts/favs! I'd never imagined I'd get this many reviews (I'm serious). ;A; You guys…-cries-…thank you for reading this story! Even if you just clicked the first chapter and stopped after one paragraph, thanks for finding this fic!**

**Rant****: Oh my gosh, I found so many sp/grammatical errors in the earlier chapters; I'm so embarrassed! The fact that I can't correct them (I took those chapters off of Document Manager) bothers me so much! But now I've been paying attention and proofreading more! I know those chapters weren't the greatest because I was so nervous about being a new writer and messing up and I eventually ended up mistyping a lot of words, but I hope I'm improving. I can't thank all of you enough for supporting me and staying with this story! **

**Edit: I thank Ayla The Librarian and Atemu'sLotus (and a bunch of other pfeople...lol i fail oTL) for pointing out my mistakes and telling me how to fix them (cuz I'm a nincompoop and can't figure it out on my own XD). You guys are the awesomesauce, thanks a bunch!**

**All sp/grammatical errors and DM linked words will be fixed once published, that's the gist. 8D (BTW sometimes when I try to change something on DM, it won't save, so please excuse me! I'll try my best!)**

**Beginning scene music (Just Be Friends music box): http :/www. youtube. com/watch?v=GnkzT4qbez0  
****Adrian/Alec "reunion at airport" scene music (Just be Friends piano cover by ****櫻井****) http:/ www. youtube. com/ watch?v=oTcL9-TCDAU [It's beautiful! ;A;]**

**So, anyone want to suggest a pairing name for Adr/Ale? [Because I'm too dumb to think of anything cool oTL] Thanks! =w=b**

**SEQUEL NEWS: There are some barely-there sequel hints in this chapter. You are a ninja if you can find it. **

**[Fail] Updated Character Notes:**

**Aloisa Beilschmidt: **blond, blue eyes, knows a little bit of German and understands Italian II degree of Italian, adores dogs (she has Blackie, Aster, and Berlitz as family pets), has hit her _Onkel _Gilbert on several occasions, GerIta  
**Felicita Vargas Carriedo**: olive green eyes, brown hair, knows a bit of Italian and Spanish (Italian swear words included), afraid of dogs, SpaMano  
**Adrian Braginski**: silver hair, blue eyes, Nantucket ahoge lookalike, Alec's lover in real life, know how to speak Russian fluently (but he prefers English), RusAmer  
**Mikhail Braginski**: elder brother, blond bangs, violet eyes, Ivan-aura, knows how to speak Russian fluently (and sometimes slips into it when he is anxious or angry), was thought to be Russia by Gilbert, RusAmer  
**Alec Bonnefoy**: blond hair, England-eyebrows, fail cooking, Adrian's lover in real life, speaks French fluently (sometimes talks in French when he is distraught, but most of the time he does it for fun), FrUK  
**Evangeline Bonnefoy**: green eyes, blond hair, excellent chef, super polite, speaks French fluently (though she prefers to use English), FrUK  
(**Note**: Adrian and Mikhail are fraternal twins. Alec is older by Evangeline by a year. Aloisa and Felicita are cousins.) See age chart in Chapter 12; see flight seating chart in Chapter 8

Ritz-Carlton Luxury Hotel: Adr/Ale: Room 434; Other four: Room 435

**Angelina Allred**: blond hair, stuck-up, picks on Felicita, hates Aloisa, tried to capture the kids using her personal bodyguards, both her and father are now traumatized by Natalia  
**Thomas Allred**: represents and controls all of California's school districts, now officially fired by Alfred F. Jones, slapped Aloisa once, Germany nearly cut off his breathing until Italy commanded him to stop, speaks arrogantly  
**Billy **(former tutor of Aloisa): crazy driver who took the kids to the airport, is supposedly an academic genius and studying to get into Berkeley, current status unknown  
**James Stanton** (now in George Washington University in D.C.): Alec's old boyfriend; James had dumped Alec (who was a freshman going onto sophomore then) because he lied that he was leaving for college when he was actually cheating on him with Cindy  
**Cindy**: James's would-be fiancé, until Alec came in and Cindy completely rejected him when she knew the truth  
**Ethan Cole**: world famous supermodel, met Feliciano and Lovino (who were acting as supervisors) when he was 18 at his first runway show in Milan, flying to Paris for another runway show and tried to force Alec to accompany him, eventually got beat up by Adrian.  
**Aaron Liu**: model friend of Ethan, half Asian, green eyes, French accent, (name mentioned before in an earlier chapter when Mikhail was assigning rooms in Ritz-Carlton)  
**Jason Omar**: model friend of Ethan (name mentioned before in an earlier chapter when Mikhail was assigning rooms in Ritz-Carlton)  
**Lisa Berns**: psychotic babysitter, burned part of Felicita's school after the kids' departure, was a newspaper headline (discovered by Matthew and Gilbert).  
**Kate**: waitress at the café that serves the prize winning lavender gelato that Aloisa loves, on good terms with Mikhail

**Yukiko Karpusi**: appears to be an elegant little five year old girl, but is actually thirteen and represents the Kansai/Kinki district in Japan, hairpin is her life source, Giripan  
**Hanna Oxenstierna**: Cute blond girl, age eight, seems to understand her parent's identity, likes to chat with Annelise, SuFin  
**Eirik Køhler**: serious boy with Norway-hat, age seven, likes to listen to Peter talk, seems to understand his parent's identity, DenNor  
**Annelise (Anne) Køhler**: bouncy, energetic six year old girl, friends with Hanna, seems to understand her parent's identity, DenNor

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

* * *

_9:55 A.M., airport…_

Evangeline ruffled her hair with one hand, the other tapping away expertly on her laptop. Maybe she could break into the system and change the flight tickets or something and make it seem like a company mix-up. Mikhail did teach her a little a couple days ago when they were hanging around in the suite, but she finally gave up. She figured that this type of hacking was too advanced for her (after all, Mikhail had only demonstrated how he got into MMORPG servers).

Alec was sulking two seats away from her, staring off into space. Evangeline had promised herself that she'd never let her brother turn into an empty shell like last time with James Stanton, but here she was, unable to console Alec in any way.

She could see Arthur and Francis standing at the check-in counter, the two arguing (well, it was mostly Arthur). The agent was smiling at them nervously, hoping that she wouldn't have to call security. Arthur had changed into his Elizabeth mode, complete with a flowing skirt, glasses, and messy-bun hair. His English accent was shrill as he lectured Francis, alternating between pointing at him and the luggage. They'd arrived late, with the rain and traffic combined.

The sky was overcast and rain was bearing down on the city like a waterfall. People would have to be so ignorant as to step out in this weather, but the flights were still scheduled for takeoff as planned. Precipitation slid down the giant window panes like tears, blurring the view of parked airplanes and the maintenance people making last minute checks on the engine or whatnot.

"Hey, Alec," Evangeline ventured, putting her hand on Alec's shoulder, "I'm sorry I couldn't change dad's mind."

"It's okay," he said quietly, his eyes downcast. "The only one who can change his mind is Adrian, and I was too scared to tell him."

Evangeline didn't know what to say anymore. Alec puffed out a cloud of cold air and watched it evaporate. Some crazy part of his mind had hoped Adrian would come after him and bring him back, but not in this weather he wouldn't. He didn't even call Evangeline's phone and ask about him. Adrian might as well have been lying about loving him. He exhaled again; it didn't matter, Alec was the one leaving him, so he didn't deserve to have Adrian.

"Collin…? Is that you?"

Alec tensely swiveled his head and stared up into the face of Ethan Cole. The latter was grinning, but it wasn't a nice sort of grin. He'd seen it on Adrian before, when they were in bed. On Adrian it was okay, but on this guy, it was seriously frightening. The man held Alec's hands and lifted him up, holding him by the waist, his face way too close for comfort. There were two men behind him, both tall and obviously model-material with their photogenic faces and alluring smiles.

"Ethan, is that the boy you've been talking about the whole time?" one called out with a French accent. He had on a fedora, much like Alec's. His face was small and sharp, but some rounded out features suggested that he might be partly Asian. His green eyes leered suggestively at Alec.

The other added, "He's mighty cute, mind if I steal him for a while? How'd you like that, Collin? I'll show you a good time—"

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Jason." He turned back to Alec, who was twisting his way out of Ethan's hold. "I've been looking all over the city for you, with no luck, I might add, but now that we're here…We were interrupted by some fool last time," He gripped Alec's waist tighter, and whispered in his ear, "I've got a show in Paris. Come with me, baby, I'll take you around and we'll have some fun."

"Excuse me!" Evangeline exclaimed, startled. "What exactly are you doing to him?"

Ethan glanced at the infuriated girl, uninterested. "Get lost, kid. We're doing some grown-up talking here."

Evangeline sputtered indignantly, "_Grown-up_? You look like you were about to rape him! You better get off of him right now or I'm calling security!"

"Call the security on supermodel Ethan Cole, hmm? I doubt that'll do any good, girl." His hand was still on Alec's waist, but it was discreetly trying to sneak inside the boy's shirt.

Alec placed both his hands on Ethan's chest and pushed futilely. "Please let go, Mr. Cole. I've no interest in you."

Jason and the other man laughed uproariously, completely ignoring Evangeline. Ethan sniffed Alec's neck and licked his lips. Alec was starting to panic, but he needed to keep it cool and lose this pervert before his mom noticed and slammed his high heels into Ethan's eye sockets. He had enough decency to not murder people, even if said people were trying to climb up his ass.

"You know you're just saying that," he breathed. "I'll bring you to the City of Lights, Collin. I bet you've never been to Paris. Five star hotels, full access to runway shows, unlimited shopping, and of course, me."

Now the poor bastard was trying to bribe him. What a joke, assuming that he'd never been to Paris; his dad was the country of France, and he and Evangeline could probably speak better French than Ethan since they'd lived there before. Evangeline looked at Alec fearfully and gestured if he wanted her to alert their parents, but Alec shook his head no. Better to let them discover on their own than not. He can deal with this; this psychotic idiot had been hanging all over him ever since he met him on the flight here. He was the one that attracted this stalker, now he needed to get rid of him on his own.

Alec waved Evangeline away. The girl hesitantly backed off two or three steps, keeping the two in her line of sight. She saw her parents getting out the passports; they were almost finished at the counter. If Alec doesn't kick Ethan away soon, Arthur and Francis will be on the models' face with bazookas. That, and the siblings will get berated even further for not looking after themselves well enough and letting a stranger follow them around.

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I'm returning home to London."

"That's not too far from Paris. Fly with me, Collin."

"I've already told you, I don't want—"

"I love you."

"You don't even know me!" He wriggled uncomfortably as Ethan lifted his chin gently with one hand, undiscouraged.

"I know that you're begging me to take you right now," he hissed. "And I don't see why not."

"Bastard!" Alec recoiled, though he was still locked in the man's embrace. He wrung away a hand that was making its way up his back. "You're making all that up—"

"Where's your little boyfriend?"

Alec froze. "H-he—I—what's it to you?"

Ethan paused to nuzzle Alec's neck, smiling with satisfaction. The boy shivered in disgust, but Ethan was really warm, like Adrian…he didn't move, though he could feel Evangeline mentally screaming at him to do so behind him. "I'll bet he couldn't keep up with you, the sly kitten you are. But I can, and not only can I keep up," he mumbled, his lips lightly fluttering on Alec's neck as he enunciated each word, "_I can catch you_."

Then Ethan Cole unexpectedly leaned forward until Alec was curving backwards enough that he had to rely on Ethan's arm on his back for support. Alec shuddered unpleasantly; he could feel the man's hot breath on his face now. Maybe it _was_ a bad idea to not call his parents in the first place. Evangeline gasped. Arthur was tucking the passports back into his bag, Francis about to load the luggage on the conveyor belt. _Hurry up, Alec..._

"You like playing hard to get? But know this, Collin," he uttered seductively, "when you're playing with me, I _always_ win." With that said, he skillfully captured Alec's gaping mouth with his.

* * *

_10:11 A.M., Ritz-Carlton…_

"Aloisa? What are you doing here?"

Aloisa nervously looked up at Alfred, who cocked his head curiously. She choked out, "N-nothing. My parents are still asleep, so I got up early."

"Is your cheek better?" The man pointed to own face, concerned.

"Ah!" Her hand flew up to her left cheek. "Is it showing?"

"No, no, I was just wondering. That guy hurt you pretty badly—"

He remembered! He was so nice! "I'm fine, Mr. Jones, thank you for asking. And thanks for saving me and everyone else yesterday."

"It's nothing." Alfred smiled. "Allred and his daughter had it coming. Yukiko alerted me."

So that was where she disappeared to. "I see. I'll have to thank her later." Aloisa gave a small laugh. "That was kind of scary, seeing my dad like that yesterday. He's usually really, um, I guess you can say passive-aggressive."

They began to walk away from the elevators. "Yeah," Alfred agreed. "He shouts a lot during meetings, but I haven't seen him get _that_ angry that since…since post-World War Two, I think, when the Berlin Wall was erected…"

"World War Two…?" Oh, right. Her parents were probably centuries old, she remembered. That meant Feliciano and Ludwig and Kiku would have been fighting against Alfred and her friends' parents. It was odd imagining her happy-go-lucky mother who liked to eat pasta and sing and dance wielding a gun and having witnessed thousands of men die. And what about her dad and Yukiko's mom? Her father was the one who would patiently help her with homework and always played with the dogs; Kiku was soft-spoken and Yukiko simply adored him. _Did they…did they change for us?_

Alfred hurriedly added, "But that's all in the past. It's been a long time, everything is different." His eyes glazed over as his mind wandered elsewhere. "Everything _is_ different."

Then he snapped out of his funk and started to make his way to Adrian's room. "Well, anyways, I was just going to check on Adrian and Mikhail—"

"No!" Aloisa clamped her hands over her mouth after the outburst. _Crap! That was too obvious!_ The American regarded her strangely.

"W-why not?"

"He's sleeping."_ Damn it, that's a stupid answer_!

"But—but everyone's flight is scheduled for today at one…except for Iggy's. They're leaving for London at ten thirty; they've already left the hotel. I'm pretty sure that Alec didn't tell Adrian, since it was completely last minute." Alfred sighed. "I hope Adrian won't feel too down…"

Aloisa stammered, "W-well, what worse way to wake him up than to tell him that his boyfriend moved?" _Quick ad-lib, quick ad-lib, Aloisa, use those weird techniques _Onkel_ Gilbert taught you before…! But…I never listened, so I can't remember anything! _"A-and he's going to wake up soon, so you should make him feel better by bringing him something nice for breakfast or…or…just don't wake him up!" _Oh god, I can't believe I'm actually doing this, I feel bad…_

Alfred started at the girl, who was shouting at him too much like how Germany tells him off during the meetings. "Okay, okay. Then what should I do?"

She jumped in front of the man, trying to make the interference casual. "We…we can go wake Mikhail up. He's probably spent his entire night surfing the Internet, so…" That part wasn't exactly lying, since she'd witnessed it in action before.

And apparently Alfred had, too, for he went berserk (almost Natalia-like) and began banging furiously on Mikhail's door ("I know you're in there! If you're on that laptop right now and playing Starcraft, you are grounded for the whole month! Open up!"). Aloisa glanced at her wrist. Ten fourteen. _Oh, Adrian, hurry, hurry…_

* * *

_10:15 A.M., airport drop-off area…_

Adrian checked his watch: the numbers flashed ten fifteen, there was still some time. He slapped some cash in the cabbie's hands (thank goodness he never took his wallet out from his jacket pocket) and madly dashed outside. The wind whipped relentlessly against Adrian's anxious face as he looked around for any signs of Alec or Evangeline. The tourist families stared at the bedraggled Adrian, wondering if these sorts of occurrences were common in D.C.

He'd seriously arrived unprepared. He was wearing a t-shirt and baggy blue pants and his jacket. He had his wallet, but he was sure that his cell was still sitting on his bedside table. His clothes were damp from earlier when he was flagging down the cab, and drops were rolling off his silver bangs and landing on his nose.

He ran inside the airport, doing his best not to slip on the floors. The place was sparsely littered with leaving visitors and frowning businessmen. He navigated around running children and furious parents, but where was—

There. He saw Alec, but he was in the arms of another man. His heart throbbed painfully as he realized that Alec must've been cheating on him, but…no, Alec was pushing the man away, his expression livid and alarmed at the same time. Then, Adrian could clearly make out the smirking face of Ethan Cole, who was forcing his way closer to Alec. Alec seemed to be protesting, his palms on Ethan's chest and attempting to draw himself farther away. At the last moment, Ethan bent Alec backwards and kissed him full on the mouth—

Adrian practically glided across the floor towards Ethan. Without hesitation, Adrian swung his good arm across Ethan's face, delivering a jolting blow to his jaw and effectively knocking the man out. Evangeline and Alec squealed in surprise, watching Ethan crumple to the ground. The two men yelped the model's name in astonishment and frantically dragged the fallen man away under Adrian's piercing gaze. Evangeline collapsed back on her seat, her green eyes wide and numb with shock. The surrounding travelers instinctively moved away, sensing a madman on the loose.

Arthur turned around on his heels. "Just what is the commotion—" He gasped, tugging on the Frenchman's sleeve. "Francis! Look!"

"What is it, _mon cher_—?" He leisurely followed where Arthur was pointing and immediately quieted. "Is that…is that Adrian?"

"And that Ethan Cole who keeps harassing Alec! That's it, I'm going to crush his ba—"

Francis held out a restraining hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Wait, Arthur."

Arthur stopped, studying Francis in bewilderment. "No? But—"

Francis's face softened. "This is the one time that Adrian Braginski can win Alec and my approval. I don't hate the boy, _mon cher_, I am only uncertain. If he can show that he is sincere, then maybe…" He motioned for the agent to stop processing the tickets. "Will you wait a moment, Madame?"

The lady blushed squeaked out a flustered reply, "Y-yes! But sir, you're almost late for your flight—"

Arthur pursed his lips, unaware of how troubled the agent was. "Good god, Francis. _Now _you tell me that you'll give him a chance? He's a nice lad, you've seen him at the café. You, on the other hand, are an insufferable idiot." He said this mildly, quite relieved that Francis had reverted back to his original state. He had to admit that he wasn't at all used to Francis's serious mode. It reminded him of the time when France lost Jeanne because of him…

Francis chuckled lightly, his eyes trained on the two. "Love works in mysterious ways, _mon cher Angleterre. _Just like it did with us_, non?_"

Arthur cheeks felt hot. "Okay, that's crossing the cheesy border. I'm going to throw up now."

Meanwhile, Alec was gawking at his lover, stunned. His legs gave way and he slid to the ground slowly. He'd been wishing for Adrian to come, but he never thought it would actually happen. But Adrian was kneeling before him in a drenched jacket and wearing a forlorn expression. He gently took Alec's hand in his and placed a crushed piece of paper on it.

Alec recognized it as the note he'd left. "W-wha—"

"I'd like to return this to you." Adrian closed Alec's hand around the paper but did not release his hold.

Despite how he thought he'd already come to terms about his hasty breakup with Adrian, Alec felt drops of wet on his face. He didn't bother to wipe them away. "R-return?"

Adrian's lips curled in a sad smile. He pressed his forehead on Alec's brow, the rhythm of Alec's breathing becoming ragged. "I can't accept this…"

"Why not?" Alec's eyes were boring directly into the floor, watching his tears stain the ground. _It's as if it's raining inside…_

"Because I never found you."

Alec felt something inside him sink to the pit of his stomach. _I never found you_…that was akin to _I never loved you_. He was so wrong, and his dad was right, he did make a mistake. He was only fooling himself when Adrian proclaimed his love for him. But if he knew this from the start, then why was he feeling so horrible? "I-I'm sorry—"

"You found me."

His heart skipped a beat as Adrian tenderly put both hands on Alec's face and closed his eyes. Alec clenched the soggy note in his hand harder. "Yesterday you asked me, and truthfully I didn't know. But now I have an answer for you: _I love you_." He paused, letting Alec catch his breath. "I can't make you stay with me, but I can ask you to. Please don't go, Alec. Whatever I did wrong, I'll correct them, but just _please _don't go—"

Alec raised a finger to silence Adrian, the note forgotten on the ground. "You're wrong," he laughed. He couldn't help himself; the whole situation was really quite confusing. When Alec looked up, his face was bright, if not tainted with bitter tears. "You did find me, over and over again."

And he leaned forward and very carefully brushed his lips on Adrian's mouth. He intended it to be short, but the latter tilted his head and push himself closer, delving deep inside and tasting all of his sorrows and hopes. His arms automatically snaked around Alec's waist, and Alec eagerly responded. _I'll never look for you again, but that's because I'll never lose you._

"Is that enough proof for you, Francis?"

Francis finished talking to the blubbering lady, who seemed absolutely taken by Francis and was fumbling with the keyboard. "It was enough proof already when the boy came by himself through the rain to find Alec. I have no doubts now—"

Arthur punched France in the shoulder. "Frog! You could've told me when the boy arrived, instead of making me wait! You! Are! Such! A! Dumb! Bastard!" He pelted Francis with his designer handbag (yes, because only real men have handbags, like Alfred, who currently owned around twenty three) with each word.

Francis shrank back but continued to smirk at Arthur. "_Mon cher_, I waited outside your house in the rain for thirty minutes to beg you for a date."

Arthur flushed and graudually ceased beating up Francis. "That was because you were half naked and singing. My neighbors thought you were a lunatic."

"Perhaps, _mon lapin_, perhaps." He plucked four tickets out of the lady's hand and handed it to Arthur. "_Merci_, _ma belle_~" he said to the girl and blew a kiss to her.

The lady was about to fall into a mass of goo right there. Arthur checked the tickets and gave a small smile to Francis. "Evangeline!" he called. "Come here for a second, won't you?"

Evangeline hopped over to her mother, glad that Adrian had come to save her brother from certain depression, but she feared the worst for the future. They were still planned to go to London, and the fiasco would start all over. "Yes, Mum?"

"Would you tell your brother that we'll be leaving for California at one? We'll be meeting the others soon, so we can idle around for a bit."

Evangeline beamed. "Yes, Mum!"

Francis and Arthur left the counter and the giggling agent then. As if moved by a last minute decision, Arthur stepped in front of Francis, frowning, and very simply pressed his lips on the Frenchman's. He pulled away after a couple of seconds, blushing fiercely.

"It's only this once, frog, but…thank you, Francis," he mumbled, thoroughly embarrassed.

Francis was too surprised to respond immediately. "_Mon cher_…" Then his grin transformed into a leer. "Can I…can I have another one?"

Arthur quickened his pace. "No."

"Don't worry, I'll get another one soon…"

"Shut up!"

The corners of Evangeline's lips curled up. Alec was laughing as he ran his fingers through Adrian's soggy clumps of hair, bringing out a towel from his backpack and drying it for him. Her mother was doing his best to evade an eager (which is never a good thing) Francis. She scratched the back of her neck and stared transfixed at the open sky. The clouds lingered, but it had stopped pouring. She'll take that as a sign; heck, she'll believe anything now. A distant plane flew into the clouds, lifting as easily as a feather.

Evangeline flipped open her cell and dialed Aloisa's number. It was ten thirty five.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: This is CTD's last chapter, the one I have worked on the longest. It is comprised of two chapters mushed together, since I found no reason to separate them in the end. Once again, I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for all the kind reviews/favs/alerts, for reading my story, for correcting my sp/grammatical mistakes, and mostly for supporting me and unconsciously helping me get better in my writing. (Even if you've just clicked it and hated the whole thing, thanks for considering about reading it! ^^)**

**Sidestory News: I think I've mentioned one more sidestory for CTD, and it's sitting there in my computer, nearly completed. I don't know if I should finish it. It's got Gilbert dancing like a boss. (Oh god, weird mental image. But it seemed like a good idea at the time. XD) If I write more sidestories for PTP, then one of them it might be based on this song: **http :/www. youtube. com/ watch?v=nHNV27jKggI

**Same gist as before: all sp/grammatical errors, DM linked words, and others will be corrected after publication. Happy Thanksgiving, guys. I hope you enjoyed Connecting the Dots and will look forward to the sequel.**

Mi tomates! Mis tomates hermosos! Han encogido! [Spanish]—My tomatoes! My beautiful tomatoes! They've shrunk!

**Final scene (music starts with the anon. girl's entrance) BGM: **Fayray – MY EYES - http :/www .youtube .com/ watch?v=8RvW7-slgQs

**Airplane Seating Arrangements:  
****Empty. Empty. AISLE. Empty. Empty. **Rom. Spa. **AISLE**.  
Russia. America. **AISLE.**Mikhail. Aloisa. Italy. Germany.** AISLE. **Adr. Ale.  
**Empty. Empty**. **AISLE**. Felicita. Evan. Eng. Fran. **AISLE. **

**Sequel News: I'm estimating PTP to be 10+ chapters, but that's only a guess. Also, there's the addition of more OCs, some of them to replace our lovely Angelina, hmm? (This is a work of fiction, name coincidence are NOT MY FAULT. LOL.) And I will try to add mpreg references in PTP. I SHALL DO MY BEST! –fire of determination starts burning my butt- XD Also, PTP will start around a year or two where CTD has left off and include explanations for information I have left undisclosed in CTD. First chapter will probably be published in two weeks. **

**SPOILER FOR THE END OF THIS CHAPTER: Wondering why Adrian didn't mention the American Revolution while reading his papers? Maybe because Alfred didn't include them—YOU DIDN'T HEAR IT FROM ME. 8D**

**EDIT: **http :/ / staneshiftthewolf. deviant art. com/#/ d33i7lo **GO LOOK AT THIS FANART, PEOPLE. THAT'S TRUE AMERICAN BEAUTY RIGHT THERE. FFFFFFF, thanks so much, Jyro~ Love you! XDD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. **

* * *

_3:52 P.M., on the airplane…_

Alec rested his head on Adrian's shoulder, watching the city below turn into green and grey squares as the plane rose higher, the confrontations with Ethan Cole and James Stanton fading into the distance. His gaze softened; the days in D.C. felt like a month, as corny as it was to say it like that. They had escaped the D.C. clouds long ago, the sunlight now streaming through the window panes. Alec felt like his mind was floating elsewhere. Maybe he was delirious, but he honestly didn't care. He was grateful that Adrian had come back for him. He was just…just glad, he didn't know how else to put it. Adrian's arm was wrapped around his shoulders, and it was warm…

Adrian tucked his newspaper back into the seat pocket, noticing that Alec's eyes had slipped shut and his breathing settling into a steady rhythm. He, too, was tired, and he didn't think his head registered anything from reading the paper. He was surprised at how well Aloisa handled the situation with his mom; she actually managed to keep things running along for most of the morning. Mikhail was the one that had grudgingly packed his luggage after his hasty leave. His brother was four seats away from him, already asleep with a half-opened magazine on his lap. Aloisa removed the book and replaced it with a blanket. Perhaps she felt responsible for taking care of Mikhail when he'd done the same for her in the café.

Aloisa had had a short talk with Adrian when they met up at the airport before his mother pulled him away to some far-off corner. Adrian thought Alfred was going to scold him again, but his expression was more curious than in rage.

"_Why? Why all this for him?"_

"_I love him," Adrian said simply._

_Alfred nodded slowly. "And does he?"_

_He replied with determination, "Yes."_

Then they had returned to board the plane. His mother gave him a playful nudge on the shoulders and left to chat with Alec's parents. Adrian exhaled as he saw Alfred (who had reverted to his Allie outfit back in the hotel) titter at Alec's mother, his curls and American flag earrings shaking along with his laughter. He stood tall and proud, radiating confidence and catching the attention of several young men happening to pass by (Ivan later warded them off with his threatening stares). But if their parents were who they said they were, why were they so…so normal? They were getting along so well, and it didn't feel like they were pretending. Why—?

Alec had sauntered over to him and touched his arm. "What's wrong?"

Adrian had gripped Alec's hand. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong."

The nations and the teens were in first class, but this time there was no need for Mikhail to invade the servers to add their tickets, too. Their parents had purchased theirs _legally_, and besides, the laptop was officially off limits to Mikhail as punishment for numerous accounts of hacking and for spending around twelve hours on several MMORPG sites.

Elizaveta was the one that was most sorry to see the kids leave. She had to go around and hug everyone at least twice before she was content. She and Aloisa had their share of dramatic anime tears moment while they exchanged phone numbers and email accounts (to which Ludwig greatly opposed but was afraid to protest after seeing what Aloisa had done to Gilbert). Elizaveta had given her a cooking pan as a parting gift.

"…a cooking pan?"

"Oh, it's pretty useful, especially around Prussia—ah, I mean, your Uncle Gilbert. Visit me when you come to Hungary, alright? Roderich and I can take you to lots of places, it'll be so fun! Or maybe we can go to Japan together and see Yukiko and Kiku!"

"Thank you, Miss Hungary, I'd love to come if my parents agree."

"Aw, you don't have to call me that," she'd cooed, "but it's awful cute the way you said it! And of course Feli-chan would agree, he's such a dear. Your dad, on the other hand…well, I'll make Feli-chan make him agree. It'd be even better if Adrian and Alec could come along…"

Adrian was thankful that Aloisa had stepped in for him. "Oh, I think they'll be too _busy_."

And Elizaveta had collapsed in a fit of maniacal giggles. Never mind, Adrian wasn't thankful at all. He had taken Alec's hand and led him away from the overcome ladies. God, he swore he could still hear them sniggering.

From her seat, Aloisa glimpsed at Adrian and saw him pull the window cover down and move into a comfortable position for Alec and himself before drifting into sleep. _This morning must've been exhausting for him._But all ended well, even if it hadn't been the way she intended for it to end. Alfred and Aloisa had found Mikhail slumped over the laptop with six coffee-stained paper cups littered here and there. She had sensed the same burst of explosive energy about to erupt out of Alfred, but it was a stroke of luck when Evangeline called. Alfred didn't blame Aloisa at all for covering for Adrian, nope. He was so nice, though he did snatch her phone away and nag at Adrian for being irresponsible.

Now Alfred was sitting beside Ivan, his legs crossed and chewing on the tip of his pen. He was glaring intently at the deck of documents in his lap, all marked with Xs for signatures. Ivan pointed at a word on the paper and Alfred smacked his finger away with his pen ("Top secret government document, no touchy.") At the airport, Alfred was arguing into his cell phone like a little kid: _Boss_, _I seriously forgot! I left them on my table and it looked really boring so I guess it blended into my furniture. _No_, I didn't forget on purpose, not _this_ time…! _

Aloisa wondered if it was really the President on the other end. It wasn't like she had any doubts of them being nations—okay, maybe she did. She had the right to ponder the impossibility of _that_, after all, even after witnessing Natalia in action and being in the World Conference. Every personification of a nation acted so amicable with each other, as if all previous wars were mere trifles. Aloisa had caught Yukiko before they had to depart for Japan. And she'd given one last question to the girl.

"What will happen to us after we become…them?" It was a vague inquiry, but Yukiko knew what she meant.

"You'll be whoever you are. Only—" Yukiko had paused. "Don't…don't forget who you used to be." She had a strained smile on her face, though she seemed to appear older and sadder than her age allowed her to be.

Aloisa had to kneel to hug Yukiko. "Thank you for everything."

She'd returned the affection by laying a comforting hand on Aloisa's back. "No matter what happens, Aloisa-san…we're all behind you and your friends."

She'd bowed to Aloisa and followed Kiku and Heracles to their gate, the emerald glow from her ever-present pin burning with life and unaccounted secrets. Behind Aloisa was her _Onkel_ Gilbert with Matthew, who she now knew was Canada, saying their goodbyes to her parents. Gilbert had arranged to come home on a later date.

Aloisa had thoughtlessly ran towards her _Onkel_, who flinched when he saw her coming for him, but she only gave him a hug. She wasn't angry anymore, deciding that the reason she was furious over was childish.

"I'll see you later, _Onkel_ Gilbert," she muttered and felt his arms finally relax around her.

"Don't let anybody like that Angelina girl get to you, _Prinzessin_. Take care of yourself until the Awesome Me gets back, oka—hold on, what's that behind your back?"

Her eye twitched when she heard the nickname. Aloisa moved the pan out of Gilbert's line of sight and looked up into his ruby orbs, grinning teasingly. "You too, Prussia. Don't have too much fun with Matthew!"

Then she'd run to Felicita, leaving a sputtering Gilbert and a blushing Matthew behind, snickering the whole way; the face her _Onkel _had made was beyond funny. It felt nice to joke around after these four days. She wanted to be a kid again and let her Mama and Vati take care of everything. Truthfully, it was hard work pretending to be a mom. _God, just thinking that makes me feel so fail. _

Aloisa put a hand up to her face where Thomas had struck. It was no longer swelling and neither did it throb with a dull pain like in the beginning, but she'd been holding her cheek the night before for so long with an ice pack the motion became familiar.

Feliciano stopped chattering to Ludwig and studied his daughter anxiously. Clad in a green summer dress and honey-gold ringlets, his brown eyes looked bigger and more worried than usual. "Aloisa, ve…? Does it still hurt?"

Aloisa's hand jumped away. "No. Not anymore."

"Okay." He settled back against his seat and began yammering to her Vati again, who adjusted his reading glasses and nodded aimlessly to Feliciano's words while turning the page in Aloisa's German Literature textbook.

Feliciano and Ludwig did not look like North Italy and Germany. They looked like her Mama and Vati. Her Vati was the one that made her read twenty pages of that dumb German Literature book last night (he'd actually brought it along) but slipped her a piece of gum so she wouldn't go to Feliciano and tell on him. Aloisa thought that was sort of silly, because he hadn't given her sweets to shut her up since she turned ten (Aloisa learned to blackmail him then, courtesy of her dear _Onkel_ Gilbert) and she wouldn't have done so anyways, but she didn't say anything. That was his way of showing affection, and she thought it was cute. And her Mama…he had to be the nicest person on Earth, and possibly the most absent-minded. To label them as two powerful, battle-scarred nations was ridiculous, in a sense…

…unless they'd already lived so long they'd gained the ability to mask their past from everyone. How many lies has she been fed? How old exactly were her parents? What else were they hiding from her? How many people did her parents kill—

No. That area was taboo, she mustn't think about it. Aloisa peeked at her Mama, who was giggling as he talked and wildly gestured to show his point. Her Vati had given up on reading and just watched Feliciano with an expression that was a cross between a helpless smile and adoration. Her parents couldn't have killed anyone…could they?

She directed her gaze to her Vati's blue eyes. There was only one word to describe them: they were happy, full of love and…just plain _joy_. This was her Vati, he was a regular person, he was the one that broke down every time Blackie started to whimper for food (needless to say Blackie is now a pudgy dog) no matter how many times she told him not to. But when she looked a little closer at Ludwig's face, she felt her own eyes glaze over and soon everything disappeared in a sudden cloud of white mist.

Aloisa hurriedly grasped the armrests to make sure she was still on the plane; they were there, she hadn't gone anywhere, but she couldn't move her body. There was no sound, as if she'd become deaf. Her head was locked in place, forced to stare straight into the frightening mist that had covered her Vati's face.

Parts of the mist darkened until it formed the image of her Mama in his male form and her Vati. They were both dressed in dusty black military uniforms that used to be crisp and clean, their expressions somber. Feliciano was sitting on the gravel, his back against what seemed to be a shattered wooden fence. He gingerly pulled up his right sleeve to inspect his arm, poorly bandaged in coarse, blood-soaked linen. Ludwig didn't say anything or even look his way, so Feliciano pulled his sleeve down again. He took off his cap and lowered his chin to his knees, observing the apparent aftermath of a battlefield. Her Vati was stiffly standing beside Feliciano, his cap covering his eyes, a heavy coat draped around his shoulders. Feliciano called soundlessly for Ludwig, and the latter looked down; his eyes were an icy blue, void of any emotions and demanding absolute obedience. He, too, was battle-worn, with streaks of dried blood (his or someone else's, Aloisa wasn't sure) on his outfit, though he refused to show it.

Her Mama appeared weary as he mouthed the words, _No more_, and threw his gun away. The two watched the gun slide into a trench and Ludwig whipped around, his eyes flashing in disbelief and hurt, which swiftly morphed into a rabid glare. Aloisa thought she could detect a band of red on her Vati's right arm, but it quickly disappeared under the overcoat. In one fluid motion, Ludwig drew his gun out of his holster and pointed it at her Mama's forehead. His scowl alone looked lethal enough to kill. Normally, Feliciano would've panicked (heck, he panicked when the pasta burned or when the dogs jumped on him), but this time he was too tired to react in horror. Instead, his eyes grew downcast as he put his arms up in defeat. Then he began to cry silently, but he wasn't despairing for his life. Feliciano raised his head with difficulty one more time at Ludwig, and Aloisa's mind was instantly flooded with the background noises of shooting guns and men shouting out in pain. But she could hear her Mama, clear as day.

"_You're not yourself anymore, Ludwig. I'm scared for you." _

Her Vati's arm began to shake, as if the gun had become too heavy to lift. It dropped from his hand and landed with a thud. Ludwig took one step back, then another, until he was out of the picture and Aloisa could only see her Mama burying his head in his knees, his body racked with heartbreaking sobs.

Then the vision dissipated as fast as it had come. She could hear Evangeline and Felicita talking from behind her seat and Felicita's mom squawking to Antonio. It didn't seem like anyone noticed what she saw or heard. Aloisa couldn't help it and touched her cheek again. Her hand was shaking as bad as the Ludwig she saw in the mist and she felt really, really cold.

"Ludwig, ve, I'm hungry~!"

Aloisa cringed at what her Vati might say, but he only replied, "You had three plates of pasta before you got on the plane, Feliciano. You'll get a stomachache."

"No I won't!"

Was she…was she imagining the whole encounter between her parents? She'd never seen her Vati like that…so violent and dictatorial. What had Alfred said? Her thoughts raced back to a few hours before. They were walking on along the hallway, with her trying to keep Alfred from discovering where Adrian was.

"…_That was kind of scary, seeing my dad like that yesterday. He's usually really, um, I guess you can say passive-aggressive."_

_"Yeah. He shouts a lot during meetings, but I haven't seen him get __that__ angry that since…since post-World War Two, I think, when the Berlin Wall was erected…"_

Was she seeing a past memory from World War Two? God, what was real and what wasn't? The more impossible questions she came up with, the more confused she got. At one point, Aloisa's head finally felt dizzy and she crashed onto Mikhail's shoulders. She would sleep fitfully for another three hours, for when Mikhail woke, he didn't dare to move just in case Aloisa got mad. He didn't have any lavender gelato as backup, but if he wasn't quite so nervous, he would've realized that he didn't mind having Aloisa next to him.

The folded newspaper from Adrian's seat would remain untouched until the flight attendant recycled it. It had their new headline for Thursday printed in bold: _Mental patient escapes hospital._

* * *

_8:23 P.M., Felicita's front lawn…_

"Go back to your own house! Felicita has school tomorrow!"

Antonio jingled the keys and went through multiple others to find the house key. Felicita and Aloisa stood side by side, watching their parents argue with each other. They were originally going in different directions, but for some reason Feliciano made the cabbie follow them. The tomatoes vines were climbing all over the wall in scraggly bunches. It didn't look like Lisa stayed around to water them. Her Papa will definitely cry about that later, Felicita presumed. _The sunset in California is the same as the one in D.C…I've never thought about it. _

She looked at the four days worth of rolled-up newspapers piled on the lawn, all dotted with dried water droplets from the times the sprinklers hit them. She kicked them apart, reading the blurred headlines: _Psychotic babysitter burns local school_…_Local high school going through drastic repairs…Berns: ex-arsonist or unstable?...Mental patient escapes hospital…_holy crud. Felicita reached for the most recent one and scanned the columns, her heart pounding.

Aloisa twirled Elizaveta's gift around with both hands. She estimated that it weighed about ten pounds. The gift was fairly new, but Elizaveta had wrote '_Good luck, Aloisa!' _on the back with permanent sharpie along with her signature. Whatever that meant. Maybe her Mama could use it to cook pasta. She couldn't think of any other ways to use a cooking pan.

Feliciano beamed at Lovino blankly. "So does Aloisa, ve~! But we live close by, so we can walk home…Wahh! Antonio planted tomatoes, too! But—"

Antonio swiveled his head to grin at Feliciano, and then at his prized tomato garden. "Of course we did, Feli! They're the most gorgeous…_Dios mio_!" Her Papa sank to the ground, his expression mortified. The keys clattered onto the cement. "Lovino! _Mi tomates! Mis tomates hermosos! Han encogido!_"

Lovino groaned and attempted to pull Antonio back on his feet. "They're just tomatoes, _idiota_. They'll grow back once you water them. Felicita! Where did Lisa go?"

Uh-oh. Felicita held up the newspaper. "A-about Lisa—"

Feliciano jumped forward, whisking the keys from the ground and unable to notice Antonio's dismay. "I want to see where _fratello_ lives!"

Ludwig and Aloisa held up their hands at the same time. "Wait—!"

Too late. The key went into the keyhole (how Feliciano found the right one so fast, the world shall never know) and he turned it. But the door didn't emit the unlocking clicking-sound when he turned the key. Feliciano cocked his head to one side, the dusk air whistling past his brown curls.

"_Fratello_…? Did you not lock the door?"

Lovino glared up. "Huh? What kind of dumb question is that?"f

"Mama…" Felicita piped up, "maybe you should take a look—"

"Do I have to do everything for you? Move aside, Veneziano." Lovino twisted the knob and pushed the door open. It was quiet inside, the darkness nearly solid enough to touch. Lovino crossed his arms defiantly.

"…there's nothing in there, what are you talking—AGH!"

Out of the house came Lisa Berns with a giant kitchen knife poised to strike. She landed on Lovino, her hair tangled and glazed eyes more alive than they'd ever been. They tumbled to the ground, Lisa holding the knife above Lovino's head.

"_Felicita_…" Lisa rasped. "_You're going to be with me forever and ever and ever_…"

Lovino dodged just as the knife imbedded itself into the cement where his head had been. What the—how old was this woman anyways? He turned his head to see his reflection staring back at him in the knife. Wearing a dress or not, he was still the ex-head of the Italian Mafia; goddammit, all Mafia groups freaking originated from him! He jammed his high heels into the woman's bony waist and kicked her off. "Get the hell away from me!"

Lisa rolled away nimbly, almost like a cat. Ludwig locked his arms around her neck and Antonio snapped up from his slump to block Felicita. The rest of the grown-ups surrounded the woman in panic, pushing the two teens away. _She's listening, _Felicita knew, and apparently the nations also realized this, for they stayed silent. Lisa breathed raggedly, turning her head this way and that fervently.

It was purely accidental, but Felicita let out a squeak when she bumped into the mailbox while she was backing away. The sound was faint…and Lisa heard it. The old lady clenched down hard on Ludwig's arm, drawing blood, and wrenched out of his hold. Placing two hands on Spain's shoulders, she scrambled up his chest and launched herself up and towards Felicita ("_Spagna_, what the hell are you doing?"). Antonio was too surprised to do much except watch Lisa sail over his head. Her maniacal eyes and frizzed grey hair made her appear inhuman. Felicita momentarily couldn't register Lovino frantically yelling her name or see Aloisa run in front of her. She was frozen on the spot, spellbound by those milk-white eyes that couldn't possibly see her. Lisa's hands were outstretched, reaching for her face—

With shaky arms, Aloisa lifted Elizaveta's cooking pan swung it like a bat at Lisa's incoming face. The pan and Lisa collided with a sickening crack and she crumpled face first to the lawn in front of Felicita's feet, unconscious. Aloisa echaled heavily before she, too, fell to the ground in relief, her legs feeling like jello. She had no idea how Felicita managed to sneak out to join them for the trip with a person like _her_ in the house.

"Thank you, Elizaveta, thank you," Aloisa muttered, gripping the handle tightly. She vowed she would treasure the pan forever.

"Aloisa, Felicita, _mio Dio_! Are you hurt?" Feliciano rushed to the two girls, his face pale.

"I'm fine…"

Antonio rubbed his forehead, his poor tomatoes forgotten. "Lovi, that _was_ our neighbor, right?"

Lovino hopped over the body and hugged his daughter, completely flustered. "How was I supposed to know? It's not my fault she turned into a freak while we're gone!"

Ludwig rubbed his wrist where Lisa had bit; she'd broke through the skin, but he could see his wound mending itself. A human had actually injured him by sheer contact…that was rare. "I'm calling the police."

Lovino stared at the still body of Lisa Berns, then at his own kitchen knife wedged in the concrete. This woman reminded him too much of Belarus.

For once, he didn't respond sarcastically to Ludwig. "Okay," he mumbled. "You do that."

* * *

_7:12 A.M, Friday, Aloisa's front lawn…_

The incident yesterday night was a mess; the police took forever getting to Felicita's house and moving a twitching Lisa into the ambulance. Aloisa's Mama had made her Vati take the day off today, meaning he was probably asleep. Aloisa bet that he was extremely tired (even if he didn't show it), so she walked her bicycle out of her backyard and parked it by the sidewalk, deciding to bike to school today. Aster, Berlitz, and Blackie came running after her, tails wagging and eager to play. She bent down and petted Aster, who rolled on its back, his leg wiggling. _I guess the next door lady did take care of them, _Aloisa thought. _I should apologize to _Onkel_ Gilbert when he gets back…_Berlitz sat stiffly, his eats perked and face tilted upwards in pride. Aloisa scratched behind its ears and the Doberman visibly relaxed.

"And who might you be, Berlitz? Another country?"

"A city, perhaps. Or he could just be one of Germany's pets."

Aloisa startled and rose. Her Mama was standing at the door and coming down the steps, two yellow envelopes tucked under his arm. Aloisa found it fascinating that he always had time to do his hair and dress before she woke up. One could easily mistake her Mama, or any of the other mother countries, as women (did that mean Alec could masquerade as a girl?). Feliciano laughed as she gave Aloisa a paper bag, "Here you go."

"Mama! Oh, I left my lunch on the counter again…"

Feliciano held up three bone-shaped biscuits. "And there were dog treats in there. That explains why Aster was getting rounder."

Aloisa took the bag, embarrassed. "Vati was the one feeding them before. I thought this once wouldn't hurt."

"No, I didn't mean anything by it," Feliciano said offhandedly. "I came here to give you this." He handed her the envelopes; Aloisa took it, confused.

"Do you want me to stop by the post office—"

"No," he sighed. How unusual. Her Mama was never depressed, unless what Aloisa saw in the mist was true… "Your Papa and I were putting this together last night. We'd discussed it during our meeting, and the nations have decided to give their kids this."

"What is it?"

Feliciano gave her a weary smile, the same one Yukiko had had on at the airport. "You'll find out. You don't have to read it, though. It's up to you." He tossed the treats to the dogs and hugged Aloisa. "You better get going. Have a nice day at school, _bambina_."

Aloisa slipped the files in her backpack hesitantly and mounted her bike. "Bye, Mama."

She waved to Feliciano until she could no longer see him or the dogs. God, she felt like she was carrying bombs in her backpack, or maybe it was just her nerves getting to her. Aloisa passed Angelina's house (nothing changed, still pink, still looking pretty ugly to her) and rode down the path to the park. Whatever was inside the files couldn't be good, not with that melancholy expression her Mama gave her.

* * *

_12:53 P.M., School…_

Felicita seriously believed that Lisa had been in her room; the rest of her house was untouched. Her Papa had dragged out the charred dummy she'd made for Lisa from under her bed; its button eyes were dangling loosely on a brown thread and the recorder inside replayed her voice saying, "Hi Lisa!" in a manly tone. She wasn't going to risk letting any Lisa-voodoo kill her overnight, so Felicita spent the night in her parent's room yesterday. Maybe it was a childish thing to do, but she'd found more kitchen knives stashed inside her pillowcase.

Putting that aside, Felicita was back in high school. The same obnoxious lovers and whiners were still there, nothing had changed (besides the fact that Angelina 'inexplicably' did not come to school today), but she felt like she belonged now. Although she couldn't find Aloisa during lunch, she didn't particularly mind. She went to the library to catch up on her homework and projects her teachers had thrown to her; she was, unfortunately, very behind on school. Her parents had given her a clipped manila folder before she left for school; just gave it to her, no explanations, no questions, except saying that it was hers and she could look in it if she wanted to. She moved it under a geometry textbook so she wouldn't be tempted. She won't look in there for now, at least not without Aloisa.

The bell had rung five minutes ago, but there was a crowd outside the Art classroom. Students surrounded the doorway but didn't enter. The girls were giggling madly, the male students appearing very peeved about something.

Felicita tried to squeeze her way through. "Excuse me…"

A female student from the front whipped around and hissed, "We all want to talk to Alec, so you better wait your turn because we were here first!" The others nodded their consent.

What the—talk to Alec? Despite the girl's angry cries, Felicita surged forward until she reached the middle of the circle. "Alec!" she yelled over the crowd. "What the hell?"

Alec looked up, his eyes twinkling and bursting out in his heavy French accent, "Ah, _ma cher_! You are looking especially beautiful today!"

Six girls who thought Alec was talking to them swooned. The girl that had told Felicita off scowled at her before turning to Alec and smiling sweetly. "What were we talking about, Alec? The café in D.C., right? I've been to D.C. before, it's quite a wonderful place—"

Felicita threw a meaningful glance at Alec, and the blond put his hand on her shoulders. "Ah…would you excuse me, _ma chaton_?" he said to the previous girl.

The girl caught her breath, completely taken by Alec's charms. "O-okay." But she glowered at Felicita as Alec led her out of the crowd.

Felicita crossed her arms. "What the heck are you doing?"

"Chatting with the lovely ladies, _non_—?"

She gave him a little shove. "With that accent?"

Alec pouted, talking normally now. "They think it's cute."

"I thought you renounced flirting." Felicita tapped her feet, glancing at the jealous crowd whispering amongst themselves.

"Oh, don't mind them, I do renounce flirting. They were the ones that came up to me looking like they expected me to be very…um…French."

"What about Adrian?"

Alec cheeks got warm. "What about him?"

"…"

Alec put his back against the wall, his voice becoming smaller and smaller until he was whispering. "H-he came back to the airport to get me, of course I love only him…"

"Well, the girls make you look like an attention whore," Evangeline called out, coming down the hallway laden with textbooks. "Hello, Felicita, sorry I couldn't find you at school. The history teacher made me take a pre-test that took forever."

Felicita shrugged, half-smiling. "I'm loaded with stuff, too."

The circle of girls was slowly trickling into the classroom. The one that had gotten mad at Felicita lingered outside the doorway, however, apparently waiting for Alec.

"Well, that's too bad for you, Evan," Alec stuck his tongue out, "because I'm only an attention whore for one person—"

A voice blew into Alec's ear, "And who might that lucky person be, Mr. Collin Bitt?"

Alec jumped. "Oh God, Adrian!" His face flared up as Adrian nipped his throat gently; Alec felt even more embarrassed when his arms automatically wrapped around the other's neck.

Aloisa and Mikhail waved to the teens. "Felicita! Evangeline! Adrian and—" She turned to Mikhail, who looked rather green at the sight of his brother and Alec. "Mikhail…give me your camera."

"You have your cell phone, that should be sufficient—a-ah, okay, give me a moment…"

He bent down and rummaged in his backpack, not wanting Aloisa to have a freak-out moment right here. Damn, he was seriously considering bringing gelato to school. Or maybe carrying a printout of gelato, that might work.

Ms. Janey briskly stepped out of the room. "What is taking you kids so long—oh my!"

Adrian and Alec were kissing opening now, with Adrian supporting Alec's arched back like Ethan had done. Aloisa grinned at the teacher, her blue eyes glittering madly. "This is art!" she crowed. "Inspiration struck, and I asked these two models to pose for me. I'm going to send it to a studio for publishing in, um, Hungary. They're waiting for me."

Ms. Janey was at a loss for words, captivated by Adrian and Alec. "Oh…if that's the case…alright. But—"

"They will never pose like this again! This is love! This is passion! Note their disheveled clothes and how the taller guy is unbuttoning the blond's…oh." She turned her back to the couple, praying that she'd block enough so Ms. Janey couldn't see anything too revealing. "I'm sorry. We'll come inside right now."

Mikhail picked up his bag and gladly breezed into the room. Felicita followed Aloisa inside, noticing that the girl from before had gone. Evangeline stayed behind to flick Adrian's forehead.

"Ow! What the he—"

She put both hands on her waist. "I'm not letting my brother and you have sex during school hours. Find some other time to do it."

Alec wondered how red his cheeks could get before he exploded. "Adrian, please give my shirt back." He paused. "You…you weren't really going to…you know…?"

Adrian stared. "No."

The blond sighed in relief. "That's good."

But Adrian was actually hoping they could sneak into the restroom to continue. They could make it; it was right next door.

* * *

_2:49 P.M., Afterschool, nearby café…_

School ended hectically, complete with female students following Mikhail everywhere and girls climbing on top of each other to 'talk' with Alec. Unbelievable. Even the first day of school hadn't been that bad. Apparently Adrian thought it would be an excellent idea to carry Alec out of the hyper crowd bridal-style, but some deranged Alec-worshippers actually begun tearing at Adrian's jacket. It was amazing they escaped at all.

Currently, the teens were lounging on plush couches in a cozy den in some café Alec brought them to. The place was hidden and classy, not very fitting for a couple of high schoolers to hang out, but the waitresses seemed to recognize Alec and enthusiastically welcomed them in. A small nearby window was open and displayed the blue, cloudless sky. Felicita wondered if it was still raining in D.C.

She stabbed at her syrup-drenched waffles. There were barely any other patrons; she guessed that they would visit later. "How'd you find this place, Alec?"

The blond winked. "Exchange students have their ways."

Evangeline punched him lightly on the arm. Her laptop screen was glowing along with the hanging lamps. Her fingers ran up and down the keyboard deftly, finishing up the first paragraph of her English essay. "Just tell us."

"Okay, okay. I was walking home last week with…um…some girls…when I passed this café. The ladies who work here are nice—Gosh, I didn't mean it like that, stop laughing!"

Aloisa giggled, "From big time playboy to tragic heroine in four days, you are really something, Alec."

Alec flushed. "T-that was—"

Adrian scooted in closer to his lover. "As long as he's my tragic heroine—oof!"

Alec had socked Adrian's side hard. "Right. Tragic heroine."

"Anyways, did you guys bring the files?" Aloisa asked.

The teens took the envelopes out of their backpacks and showed them to Aloisa. All were simple, yellow folders, big enough to put printer paper in without folding it.

"Has anyone opened it?"

They shook their heads.

"Does anyone know what's in here?"

"Not really."

"Tell me, who gave this to you?"

Alec spoke up, "Our parents."

"What did they look like when they gave it to you?"

Evangeline offered, "Depressing." She typed one more word and saved the document. "Like they didn't want to look inside either."

Mikhail snorted in his coffee. "That is always a happy thought."

Aloisa switched to him. "What about your parents, Mikhail?"

He scratched the back of his neck. "My мама and Папа appeared amused. I do not think it matters much. It is probably okay to look inside."

"Okay, okay, be pushy."

Aloisa took a deep breath and undid the fasteners on the first envelope. She didn't know why she was so nervous, it's not like there really was a bomb in there…she hoped. She carefully pulled out the contents: paper clipped documents, the ones on the bottom laminated.

Alec laid the papers on the table to examine them. "That's it? Crummy paper?"

"I-I don't think so…" Aloisa scrutinized the last one; it was held in place by the plastic since it was falling apart and there were only crumbly pieces placed where they must've been when the paper was whole. It was difficult to read what was left of the writing.

"_Imperium…Romanum…Sacrum…" _

There was a post-it note at the top of the page with a date written in blue ink: _962 A.D., dissolution July 1806 A.D. _All documents near the top were modern printer paper, all printed mechanically with photos stapled to some pages. Around the corners of the pages were words in German scribbled with ballpoint pen. They looked illegible to Aloisa, but there were arrows drawn from the notes to underlined printed sentences.

Felicita gestured at the bottom, "Isn't that the President of Germany's signature…?"

It wasn't just one signature; the President dated and wrote out entire messages at the corner of the papers, mostly comments and questions referring to the documents. Her Vati's bold, square handwriting followed the President's cursive, supplying answers and other questions to counter the inquiries given.

"W-what—"

She opened the other envelope, spilling out the papers in her hand and scanned them quickly. The papers were chronicled by date, the most recent on the top. Most were letters for Italy Veneziano from previous Prime Ministers and Presidents. "I don't know what this is—"

Felicita passed Aloisa one of her files. "You have North Italy's history. I've got South Italy. I think."

"I don't think they're history…"

Alec picked out another laminated sheet. "I have a deteriorated letter from the 15th century signed by some person named…Jehanne to…Francis Bonnefoy_…_oh, my God." He covered his mouth. "Oh, my God."

Evangeline checked her pile. "I have the recorded death of Jeanne d'Arc signed by…by my mum…what the hell?"

Adrian flipped through his stack. "I have twenty pages solely about the Cold War…is that hamburger grease on my paper?"

"I have the Russian version of the Cold War. And about six more documents about the Soviet Union." Mikhail dusted his paper. "They smell old."

"Hold it, hold it! Find the papers labeled with 1939 or dates close to that!"

Evangeline regarded Aloisa strangely. "What's wrong?"

"Just find it!" She went through all her papers for information pertaining to WWII, but it was as if they skipped right over the dates. "No…no…"

Adrian held up a crumpled piece of stationary. "I have a letter from my mom to Arthur Kirkland dated 1941."

Evangeline stared. "I have a letter from my mum to Alfred Jones dated 1941."

Alec plucked the letter from Adrian. "I think this one came first. '_I'm coming over right now_.'" He paused. "That's all your mom wrote."

His sister blinked, confused. "Mines says, '_You're late, idiot._'"

Felicita slipped hers back into the manila files. "I don't have much on World War Two. There was only something about supplies and transportation."

"Do you think these are real?" Mikhail asked.

"Probably."

They were silent for a while, pondering the contents of the envelopes.

Why were some of her papers from her Vati's stack missing? Shouldn't he have included it? She'd like to know where they are, but she wasn't about to ask Ludwig. Perhaps there was a reason they weren't in there. She could tell the others about what she saw on the plane…but the event sounded made-up in her mind.

Alec set his teacup down and returned the files into his bag. "Can I see those photos you took of us, Aloisa?" It wasn't like he was trying to be insensitive, but he figured that there was no use contemplating what had already happened. It's not as if they could alter history. Although he, too, wondered why his parents had given them their old papers. It felt inappropriate, like reading someone's private journal without the owner's permission.

Evangeline saw what her brother was trying to do. She pushed Jeanne d'Arc out of her mind and cheerfully added, "I'd like to see your 'art,' too, Aloisa."

Aloisa was shaken out of her thoughts. "What—?"

"Come on, I know you were taking pictures—"

"I don't—"

"Alec! I've finally found you!" squealed a high-pitched voice. She sounded like a harmless version of Angelina, but ten times more annoying. "Were you going to bring me here for our date?"

Alec smiled up at the girl, who was standing next to their table eagerly. _It's that girl who yelled at me outside the Art classroom, _Felicita thought.

Alec didn't seem to recall anything and naturally reverted into his French accent. "How may I help you, Miss…?"

She ignored the question. "We were talking about your D.C. trip a couple hours ago in school, and I thought it'd be great to continue our conversation—what's she doing here?" The girl pointed at Felicita belligerently. "Are you cheating on me?"

Adrian raised his eyebrows. "Cheating?"

Alec was equally confused. "What do you mean by that?"

The girl bristled. "We're going out, remember, Alec? We talked today and you called me pet names and—"

"Talking to you does not mean I'm dating you, and I've called plenty of other people pet names. I don't remember your real name, I apologize."

The Alec-admirer balled her fists. "Are you breaking up with me?"

Felicita whispered to Aloisa, "Is she serious?"

Aloisa retrieved her mini-camera from her backpack inside pocket (she'd found it during Art) and polished it with her sleeve. "Maybe."

Adrian wrapped his arms around Alec for the hundredth time, but this time he deliberately exaggerated the motion so the girl could see. "How could he be dating you when he's going out with me?" Having said that, he closed his eyes and deeply kissed Alec on the mouth.

The girl shrieked. Felicita relished the horrified grimace she was making. "No way! You can't—y-you can't be—I-I'm leaving!"

Mikhail took a cookie and watched the student stomp away. "Somebody did not take their happy pill today. Do girls always come up to him like that?" he asked Evangeline.

Evangeline entered another sentence in her essay and replied casually, "Sometimes they're guys. Those are harder to get rid of, though."

Aloisa's mini-camera clicked three times, but Alec caught the faint flash from the corner of his eyes. He pushed Adrian away and reached for Aloisa. "I'll take that!"

"No, don't!"

Evangeline's essay on the symbolism of _Romeo and Juliet _was coming along nicely, she thought, and she didn't even read the thing (she had help from Wikipedia and Sparknotes); second paragraph complete, only three more to go. She glanced at Mikhail, who was beginning to read the Cold War papers word by word. "What are you doing?"

"There is a whole page on Russian military intelligence in the 1950s handwritten by my Папа. Why would our parents give us this?"

Evangeline sipped her rose tea. "Maybe they don't need it anymore. It's like a used Christmas present rewrapped, you know?" Her mom's envelope was sitting snugly between her English textbook and Biology notebook in her backpack. She didn't think she needed them right this moment.

Meanwhile, Felicita had discovered an entire album of photos in Aloisa's bag. "You already printed the D.C. photos? Look, there's the one I took of Mikhail sleeping."

Said person scrambled up from his seat. "Let me see."

Aloisa gasped, "Wait! Don't rip the ones with Adrian and Alec!" She clamped her hand on her mouth. "Oops."

Alec practically pranced on Aloisa's lap. "You're not leaving with them!"

In the midst of their riot, Aloisa thought about how cheesy the journey had been. They'd hopped a flight to D.C. and spent four days believing in the craziest theory of their lives. Because of that one stupid suspicion that something was up with their parents, new friendships and loves were created. If there was a novel with a plot similar to their 'adventure,' Aloisa would've given it to Aster to bury in the backyard. They knew the trip was dangerous, yes, and how rash it was (they'd even gotten physically injured), but they'd decided to go anyways.

Though there were some technical details that they still didn't understand about the existence of non-human beings (their parents didn't seem like they were about to tell them anytime soon), they felt that they'd found out enough. There were too many questions, and perhaps she'd never receive the answers, but for now she was satisfied with leaving matters at that.

If it was true that her parents were nations, their kids were still humans for the time being. Aloisa refused to let the future ruin their good mood. Evangeline was tapping the album and saying something or the other about Ethan Cole and Alec, while Adrian stubbornly turned the page. Felicita chortled, showing Mikhail a photograph that she took at the Lincoln Memorial. A wisp of a cloud floated overhead, bringing an airy breeze into the café through the open window; it mussed Aloisa's bangs before dispersing quickly like the white mist. They weren't the same. Aloisa doubt if they'll ever be the same.

She retied her ponytail and laughed delightedly along with her friends. Aloisa mentally crossed out that earlier thought: she liked how things turned out and how they were randomly having afternoon tea in a high-class café. _It'd be nice if we can stay together like this after we've become cities…_Aloisa's files were on the table underneath broken cookies and several half-full porcelain teacups, forgotten. She won't worry about her Vati's missing papers.

Not yet.


End file.
